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THE TEACHER 

OIL PAINTING 
and TAPESTRY 


THIRD EDITION 



BY 

DEM. CAMPANA 

CHICAGO 








Copyright 1924 
»y D. M. CAMPANA 





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APN 24 1924 

Cl A 7 7 8 0 9 5 


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Chapter I 
PREFACE 


This book is full of useful suggestions, it will save you 
time it will explain many points that take a long time to 
learn, but you must work. Practical, steady work, firstly 
adequate to your primary knowledge, progressing, continu¬ 
ous. That is your best work. Then comes the book of 
instructions. Begin and follow up your work step by step. 
Do not feel overconfident, as it generally ends bad. In 
speaking of books of instruction, do not forget that you are 
your own first book, be it in Art, in Sciences, in Music, or 
any other branch of work. Books show you the way, but 
you must do the work. Books help you in acquiring knowl¬ 
edge much as the hammer helps in driving a nail, but you 
must do the hammering. 

If you wish to learn, begin in an easy manner, the same 
as children begin from the first grade reader, and in this 
way you will not become discouraged over your unsuccess¬ 
ful attempts. At first copy a simple object, a tree, a flower, 
fruit, etc., and do not have the presumption that because 
your will is strong and you are determined to do things 
you have the ability to do so. Remember that any sub¬ 
ject can hardly be too simple or have too little interesting 
materials, as it constantly happens that there is in every¬ 
thing enough matter for good compositions. It is better, 
as we mentioned before, to measure your own ability and 
start from the bottom, rising gradually to subjects more 
and more difficult. Do not consider any subject too com¬ 
mon foh your efforts. All intricacies and perplexity in work 
are hindrance to progress. Consequently, it is prudent to 
use the effects which obviate such difficulties. What you 
see and learn from copying your first easy paintings will be 
a great help in your future work. 

The efficiency of an artist depends largely on his vivid 
recollections of form and effects gained during his study. 


You have been taught in school that the shape of a certain 
state is square, and that the shape of another state is ob¬ 
long, etc., and you can now reproduce those shapes from 
memory and without any effort. The same can be said of 
the education in art. You will be able to draw those flow¬ 
ers, fruits, trees with which you are familiar with a com¬ 
petent knowledge of form, and the more the variety of your 
studies, the more general will be your ability as an artist. 
The result will be that the experience gained in your pri¬ 
mary studies will help you in understanding your present 
work, and you gradually will arrive at a better knowledge 
and feeling of art. 

If you are a beginner and have no opportunity to fre¬ 
quent a school or receive good lessons, this little book will 
give you good directions for preliminary study and you will 
no doubt derive enough benefit for the few cents spent on 
the purchase. Consider that a term of lessons at an art 
school may cost you a good many dollars and the benefit 
you receive may not be much more than the knowledge you 
acquire from this book. The general hints, recipes and in¬ 
formation found here were learned by long experience and 
study. 


Chapter II 

OIL PAINTINGS 

Oil painting differs from water color painting in the 
fact that while water colors are transparent and stain only, 
oil colors are opaque or body colors and cover all other 
colors or designs underneath. In oil painting, you are able 
to apply a dark color over a light one as well as a light 
color over a dark one. You can intermix and blend all 
colors without difficulty and with good success. 

If the features in the portrait; you are painting are not 
correct, the eyes too high for instance, .you can cover up the 
defect and paint those eyes a trifle lower. If the sky in 
your landscape is too dark, you may apply a lighter tone 


6 



oyer the first one, etc. Such changes could not be clone 
with water colors unless you mixed white with them, and 
even with white the changes do not produce a good trans¬ 
parent result. 

With oil colors, everything is possible, as their opaque 
nature will cover all former tints. White is the general 
color used to lighten tones, though, of course, any light 
shade can be utilized. If you have, for instance, a blue sky 
to paint, take a good blue, say, for instance, Cobalt Blue, 
and add as much White as necessary to attain the shade 
desired. If you wish to paint a pink rose, take a Carmine 
or Lake, and add White until you have a good color that 
is satisfactory for your present purpose. In other words, 
a dark color mixed with a light one will make a medium 
shade. The addition of oil or turpentine will not make the 
color lighter, though it will eventually make the color 
thinner. 

Colors for oil painting are generally bought in collap¬ 
sible tubes, that is, tubes made of thin lead and well closed. 
The colors are taken out at the opening by pressing the 
tube with your fingers, and such tubes must be kept closed 
so as to preserve the freshness of the color within. If you 
keep the tube open the color will take on a skin and will 
partly dry, and clog the opening of the tube. 

Oil colors applied over canvas will dry within five to 
ten days, according to the weather and to the thinness of 
the coating, and can be, dried in a day or two if a trifle of 
seccatif- or dryer is mixed with them while you paint. A 
little turpentine as a thinner will help in drying also, while 
by using boiled linseed oil as a thinner, the colors will keep 
open ten days or more. 

We mention a thinner, and in order to make the matter 
more easily understood by students, will add that colors 
taken direct from the tubes are thick and oftentimes too 
thick to work well on the canvas. A thin medium is there¬ 
fore used and kept on the palette in a small receptacle. 

While painting, the brush is often moistened in this 
receptacle and the moisture mixed in with the colors. A 
good many artists have individual ideas as to the kind of 
thinning mediums to be used, as, for instance, boiled lin¬ 
seed oil, poppy oil, or turpentine. 


One which gives good satisfaction is even parts of 
boiled linseed oil and turpentine mixed together. This 
medium works smoothly and dries in a short time and does 
not give the picture such a strong gloss as the pure od 
would give. If a quicker dryer is desired, add a drop or 
two of a good seccatif or dryer, which you will find men¬ 
tioned in the chapter on different articles and materials 
used in oil painting. Having the colors squeezed out in 
small heaps all around the palette, the yellows with the 
yellows, the reds with the reds, blues with the blues, all in 
a row near the edge of the palette, and having your thin¬ 
ning medium in its receptacle well fastened to the wooden 
palette, you can now begin to paint. 


Chapter III 
TECHNIC 

It is stated by good authority that the old masters of 
four or five centuries ago were compelled to make their own 
colors and canvases, as in those days there was not much 
commerce in such materials and students or apprentices in 
art received their instructions from their teacher not only 
in drawing and painting, but also in the making of the 
necessary articles used for such paintings. 

It is also noted that those old masters used only good 
materials which were the very best, and they allowed the 
proper time for making of their necessities. Modern manu¬ 
facturers have adopted new minerals, oil, etc., which are 
still in the experimental stage, while other dealers use sub¬ 
stitutes or cheaper grades of material and try in every way 
to do things in a less expensive way. The better quality of 
materials used by old masters, where everything was timed, 
hand-made, and properly manufactured, may account for 
the everlasting freshness of the old paintings. 

Most of the old colors were made from natural earths 
found in different locations, and also from several vegetable 



preparations which time could not alter. Modern chemistry 
has found new methods in things no doubt much cheaper, 
but nobody dare say as yet that the materials are any im¬ 
provement on those used by the old artists or even as good. 

In looking over old masters, we find, for instance, that 
the technic of Titian, Rembrandt and Raphael was so par¬ 
ticularly good as to produce pictures which, though four 
hundreds years old or more, are still now in a beautiful state 
of freshness and will be finely preserved for a good many 
centuries to come. On the other hand, paintings of con¬ 
temporary masters have cracked and changed to a muddy 
and dark tone within only twenty-five years from the time 
of their production. We would mention, for instance, paint¬ 
ings by Monchasky, by Sargent, by Bouguereau, etc., all 
strong representative artists of the present time, of whom 
the writer has seen paintings already badly altered and 
cracked. The ability to paint works that will be always 
fresh, always alike and perfect is called good technic. The 
word technic in art also includes the way of applying the 
colors, a way that may be free from mechanical appearance 
that may show control of color and brush without tinkering 
or uncertainty. 

Many artists’ method of producing valuable work is by 
working with an abundance of color in the brush and apply¬ 
ing such color freely, while other artists proceed with well 
diluted and thin colors. 

These different methods and the material used for the 
paintings all are included in the general meaning of the 
word technic. A good many artists consider the canvases 
sold by manufacturers to be the cause of the cracking and 
altering of the colors. They say that the material used to 
make those canvases is of a cheap quality, and therefore 
prepare thir own canvas. 

There are also artists that prepare a few of their prin¬ 
cipal colors, their own oils and varnishes. They do their 
utmost to have their materials perfect so as to obtain dura¬ 
bility, freshness unaltered—in short, perfect technic. 

All of these topics should be of particular interest to 
students in oil painting. They are useful to them in their 
own work and may help them also in the judging of paint¬ 
ings in general. 


9 


In going through an art gallery of paintings it will not 
be unusual to hear connoisseurs say: “This artist has a 
wonderful technic/’ as, for instance, was the case in Boek- 
lin’s paintings. This aritst was very poor and was com¬ 
pelled to prepare most of the materials for his paintings. 
No doubt his knowledge in this direction helped him to 
produce such beautiful color effects. You may also hear of 
another artist having a poor technic. These expressions 
are nothing but the appreciation of good schooling in the 
handling of effects with mastering precision and the fresh¬ 
ness of color and brush. 

Some of the modern artists have adopted a method of 
painting with a brush stroke, with thick touches, heaping 
one color over the other, making a rather rough surface 
over the canvas. There is no doubt that a good' picture can 
be attained with this or any special method or style, but 
such thick masses of colors are not conducive to perfect 
technic nor to a long life of their pictures. To work broadly 
is as correct as to work in a very finished style, but broad¬ 
ness should not mean roughness and it will be preferable 
for students to attempt at first the more finished style, as 
the other can be easily mastered later on. 

The writer himself, desiring to paint a picture and 
finding at hand an old piece of canvas used before for 
sketching (having already considerable thickness of color), 
covered up those sketches with an even white coating of 
oil colors, allowed it to dry very well and painted over it 
portrait of a member of his family. It was a very success¬ 
ful picture, good in color and drawing and a much appre¬ 
ciated work. The colors under the painting seemed to give 
depth of tone to the present picture and the technic was 
considered very good. However, about fifteen years later a 
little white cross appeared over one of the eyes, and look¬ 
ing more closely, a number of small cracks, in a form of 
crosses or stars, were discovered coming out all through the 
canvas, and in a few months the picture was all cracked 
and beyond repair. It took fifteen years for the color to 
dry and shrink completely, causing the trouble which was 
the result of too great thickness of colors. 


10 


Chapter IV 
PAINTING 


Children perceive colors more quickly than grown per¬ 
sons. They also show more interest in strong and bright 
shades, such as yellow, red or blue. At a later age they 
will more easily differentiate between strong and harmoni¬ 
ous coloring in proportion to their education and feeling. 
This attraction of color explains perhaps the strong desire 
shown by students to begin handling colors even before they 
have a knowledge of drawing. 

In looking at nature, color undoubtedly produces the 
strongest impression. Let us not lose sight of the fact that 
form is the main thing, and though form is more closely 
associated with beauty than color, yet color has a greater 
emotional power than form. 

.Students should not begin to apply colors unless they 
have a good drawing of the subject lightly but correctly 
made on the canvas. The drawing can be done with a soft 
lead pencil or charcoal, the former being preferred, as the 
charcoal often interferes with the cleanliness of the colors. 

We presume the picture is to be on canvas, which 
should be well applied on a stretcher or well pinned on a 
flat wooden board. Place such a stretcher on a fairly solid 
easel and have the top part of the picture slightly leaning 
backward, as in this position the canvas will receive a more 
direct and proper light. 

If you paint while standing, have the canvas raised to 
a height that may be proper to your size of person, so as to 
avoid exertion, and if you paint seated, place the canvas 
lower accordingly. Returning to the drawing of the subject 
to be painted, we would advice students to do their draw¬ 
ings on paper and transfer them afterwards on the canvas 
by means of impression paper or graphite paper, or even by 
rubbing some soft crayon behind the drawing and tracing 


n 


over the design afterwards with any sharp point. (See 
chapter 6.) 

Of course, there are students who are able to draw 
directly on the canvas, but students unable to do so may 
follow the suggestion given, as the fine line left by the 
traced impression is very delicate and still sufficient to guide 
your color application. 

If you copy from nature, as, for instance, a portrait or 
a still life subject, such as fruit, flowers, or any group, and 
are painting in the studio see that the light comes from one 
side only, be it from the window, door or skylight, as two 
or more conflicting lights coming from different directions 
will make it more difficult for you to understand the light 
and shadows. 

If you are painting out of doors, this special light can¬ 
not be controlled. However, in both cases the students 
should remember that the sun is moving around and that 
the light changes accordingly. An out-of-door artist can¬ 
not work more than two hours in succession on a special 
effect, as after such a time the light has changed. He must 
return at the same time for several days in order to find the 
same light or atmosphere and gradually finish his canvas. 
Sunrise and sundown effects, of course, are much more 
changeable, and artists make only a number of sketches so 
as to familiarize themselves with color and suggestion of 
form: to refer to when the make up and finish their impor¬ 
tant pictures. Light does not change very much indoors, 
and unless the sunlight enters the room the student has a 
fairly even, uniform light for six hours or more. If possible, 
paint near a north window and have no strong reflection 
from other houses. As stated above, these advices are very 
essential in painting from nature, but not so necessary if 
you copy from another picture which is flat and needs no 
special light. Having your canvas placed and your proper 
light, you will now come to the coloring. 

Have your wooden palette well balanced on your thumb. 
Take the colors which you deem most necessary for the 
picture you wish to accomplish. 

In another chapter of this book we have given a num¬ 
ber of color cpmbinations for the painting of special sub- 


12 


jects, but it would be impossible to guess at this moment 
what students intend to reproduce in colors, and of course 
they must use their judgment and learn by experience. 

If your painting is to be a country landscape, with 
trees, grass, mountains, etc., it is understood that you 
should have a variety of greens, blues and yellows in your 
palette and have them well distributed, one next to the 
other, near the edge of the palette. Burnt Sienna, Van 
Dyck Brown, for trees—trunks and branches. Blues for 
the sky and a large supply of White on one end of the 
palette. 

Remember that the center of the palette is always kept 
for the intermixing of the colors and therefore your tube 
colors should be away from the center and near the edge of 
the palette, opposite the side that you keep near your body. 

If your painting is to be a figure, you must have the 
flesh tones, such as Terra Rossa, Vermilion, Burnt Sienna, 
Carmine, Naples Yellow, Terre Verte, Cadmium Yellow, 
Cobalt Blue, and plenty of White. 

For clothes, background and accessories completing the 
picture, you must have colors according to need. Your 
colors at hand, fasten the small receptacle with the oil at 
one corner of the palette and pour into it a mixture of equal 
parts of boiled linseed oil and turpentine. This is for the 
dipping of your brush, when the colors are too thick, and 
this mixture is only used for the thinning of such colors. 

The brushes needed in oil painting are considerably 
more than those used in water color painting, as with the 
latter the brushes can be easily washed in water and used 
again. Brushes filled with oil colors take considerable time 
to be cleaned, and unless strict economy is necessary, the 
students should have at least six or more in the same hand 
which holds the palette. Two half-inch brushes, two one- 
fourth-inch brushes and two one-eight of an inch, with one 
small liner, is as modest a supply as can be had. By having 
more brushes, less time is lost in cleaning and this point 
alone is a strong one. Have now an arm-rest stick, one 
sold for the purpose or any stick ready at hand. This stick 
is held in the hand holding the palette and the brushes : 
it is always placed over the top of the painting and your 


13 


working hand may rest on it. The arm-rest stick is not 
always a necessity, but it is very much used by all artists 
so as to insure a more accurate touch of the brush. Having 
your canvas at hand, your colors well distributed in the 
wooden palette, medium on the receptacle, brushes and rest- 
stick, you may now begin the painting. 

In working indoor, or, as more generally expressed, in 
the studio, the students should sit so that the light may 
come from the left side, because with the left light, the 
working hand and arm will not cast a shadow in front of 
their work. They should also avoid sitting with their back 
toward the light, as their body will cast a shadow on the 
work. If there are two windows in the room, one should 
be closed. Look at the subject you are copying, straight 
and direct, and do not lean over to look at it from the left 
and right side, lest you get a wrong idea of its form. 


Chapter V 
METHOD 

Having explained in another chapter the material re¬ 
quired for the painting, and assuming you have the subject 
to be painted well drawn on the canvas, begin by applying 
the darkest and largest masses of colors, as those are the 
most seen and are also the controlling spots in the picture. 

As this book is read by a good many students having 
no previous experience in oil colors, we shall be thorough 
and elementary in explaining every little detail. 

If you paint a broad-sized mass of color, use your 
largest brush. If you paint small masses or details, use 
your small brushes. With the brush take the color wanted 
by dipping the brush into the color itself. Then stir it up 
in the center of the palette until your brush is properly 
covered with it. Should you wish to mix two or more colors 
together, take two colors and mix them in the center of 
the palette. If the color is too thick, dip your brush lightly 


•14 




in the small receptacle and stir up the color with it. The 
brush will do the mixing and in painting use the brush in a 
flat way and not on the side of the edge. Turn it on one 
side and then on the other, take more color, and if neces¬ 
sary more oil, and apply again on the canvas, etc. 

We have mentioned above that it is more appropriate 
to paint the darkest and broadest colors first and to come 
gradually to the lighter and lighter shades. It is also ad¬ 
visable to begin the painting by using thin colors, that is, 
by using colors well diluted with a medium, so that it will 
dry easily. This also makes it easier to apply other shades 
over the first one. This method is adhered to by artists 
and is the easiest and best way to begin, avoiding diffi¬ 
culties and following the simple method, which is also the 
quickest. 

It is necessary that the student cover the whole picture 
before beginning to work up the details. To be more clear, 
if you paint a landscape, you should sketch down not only 
the foreground, but also cover the background, the sky, the 
trees, etc., all in a sketchy way. It will be easier for you 
then to have a clear general understanding of the whole 
picture. You will see which part appears to be too dark or 
too light and can correct afterwards the different faults 
accordingly. 

If, for instance, you paint and finish the foreground 
before you apply the background or the sky, you may find 
when you come to apply the background and sky that the 
foreground you painted before looks altogether too light or 
too dark. Be sure to sketch all parts and you will proceed 
in a much easier way when you come to the details. Paint 
by using your brush with a flat, downward stroke. Do not 
overwork these general sketches. More accurate finishing 
touches will come at a later application. The student will 
notice that fresh colors mix well together and produce a 
variety of tints. 

When your sketch is complete, place your canvas in a 
dry and airy place and allow a few days for a thorough 
drying before you again begin to paint. 

Parents do their children much harm when the speak 
of their wonderful talent for art, for this praise of their 


is 


ability makes the youn^ folks overconfident. At the very 
best, their talent is only a certain tendency toward art, 
much as other students take more interest in geography or 
arithmetic, or music or any other science. It may be true 
that they draw and make sketches when they are at an early 
age, but it is also true that a good many children at the 
same early age pick up a new song and play it off by ear. 
But these musical infant prodigies very seldom develop into 
anything great in the musical world. They just grew over¬ 
confident and careless and, though gifted for music, they 
lack the tenacity and perseverence necessary to learn their 
art thoroughly. The case is generally the same with the 
art students. They only show a tendency for drawing and 
painting when they are very young, but in most cases they 
do not follow studies and rules and thus develop into noth¬ 
ing better than very mediocre artists. 


Chapter VI 
DRAWING 

If you are fond of art and painting, you are bound to 
understand its difficulties, to grow more and more inter¬ 
ested and acquire proficiency in due time. Before the study 
of coloring, however, convince yourself that drawing is the 
main mast of art. You should give a long time to nature 
study—that is, the drawings from nature, figure, landscape, 
still life, etc. Draw in black and white and be particular 
about detailing individual parts of your subject, and when 
all details are known to you it will be an easy matter to 
place them together and apply the colors. 

If you have attempted to draw a figure, your main 
attention no doubt was given to the head, while the other 
parts of the body were neglected. This is a fault with the 
majority of art students, and this carelessness of details 
will make the picture imperfect. Hands will be cramped, 
clothes will be stiff and wooden, and the general appearance 


16 



will be amateurish. Hands and feet are not so difficult as 
the features of the head, but the latter are often carefully 
studied, while the former are not well understood. 

If you consider the study of a nude figure, for instance, 
and imagine a beautiful female head with correct features, 
but with a short leg or large feet, shoulders not in propor¬ 
tion with the other part of the body, your figure will be a 
failure. You may have tried your best to paint all parts of 
the figure equally well, but your lack of practice in painting 
feet, hands, legs, etc., will make you blind to all those faults. 
It will easily escape your attention, but those faults will 
appear very plain to your critics, and will appear clear to 
you one or two years later when you have acquired more 
knowledge of drawing. 

By drawing and redrawing, your eye will become ac¬ 
customed to proportions and you will work freely and, of 
course, more correctly. You simply must educate your eye, 
and this takes study and enthusiasm. 

Returning to the study of details, the writer has noticed 
how in a good many art schools students are taught oi 
allowed to sketch in a broad way with charcoal and care 
very little for details. Students will gain very little by this 
method, as their work will be sketchy, will show evading 
of difficulties or concentration. It is safer and more satis¬ 
factory to have students learn all particulars in a very 
accurate manner in the beginning. Then they can later 
acquire a broader style of their own. 



17 





Chapter VII 

OUTFIT OF MATERIALS 


In oil painting there is a large variety of colors, but not 
all of them are needed. While one artist may use a certain 
number of colors, or what is generally called a certain 
palette, another artist may use an altogether different va¬ 
riety and produce equally good pictures. In the list of 
colors given below we have concentrated the outfit to a 
limited number of shades, and in this way we hope to help 
the student in eliminating confustion in the selection of his 
colors and materials. There are several makes of oil colors. 
Some are made in Europe and some are made in the United 
States, and though the colors made in Europe are recom¬ 
mended by centuries of trial and success, there should be 
no reason for not acknowledging the qualities of American- 
made colors. In the writers’ opinion, the domestic colors 
are good matches to the imported goods and they are very 
reasonable in price. 

We have given here a list of the colors, brushes and 
different items which constitute a complete outfit for a per¬ 
son beginning to paint in oil, and have also shown the dif¬ 
ferent prices according to the different qualities of mate¬ 
rials. The student can select the outfit according to the 
amount of money he wishes to spend. It cannot be said 
that the cheaper outfit is as good as the most expensive, 
but often the former is sufficiently good for a beginner to 
use for the purpose of sketching and learning. 


SMALL 

Burnt Sienna 
Burnt Uumber 
Chrome Yellow 
Emerald Green 
Flake White 
Indian Red 


SIZE TUBES 

Ivory Black 
Jaune Brilliant 
Naples Yellow 
Payne’s Gray 
Cadmium Yellow (deep) 
Rose Madder 


18 


Permanent Blue 
Raw Sienna 
Terra Rossa 
Terra Verte 
Van Dyck Brown 
Bone Brown 


French Vermilion 
Carmine Lake 
Cobalt Bine 
Indian Yellow 
Cadmium Yellow (light) 

BRUSHES 


2 flat bristle brushes No. 12 2 flat bristle brushes No. 6 

2 flat bristle brushes No. 8 2 flat bristle brushes No. 3 

1 flat bristie brush No. 1 
1 wood palette (about 10x12)1 rest stick 

1 oil cup 1 easel 

1 bottle linseed oil 1 palette knife 

1 bottle turpentine 1 oil receptacle 

1 canvas on stretcher or canvas panel (about 12x20) 

1 wooden or japanned tin box 
1 bottle varnish 

A complete catalog giving list and prices of all artists’ 
materials will be sent free of charge, by asking this author. 


Chapter VIII 

QUALITY OF THE MATERIALS 

Having given the necessary materials for a complete 
outfit, we must state that in all materials sold you may find 
a good, a medium and a poor quality of materials. 

The given complete outfit made up of first quality oil 
colors, good quality brushes and oils, with a good japanned 
tin box and a reliable easel costs about $18.00. The same 
outfit as listed above, composed of medium quality oil col¬ 
ors, American-made brushes and oils, a reliable school easel, 
a wooden box, etc., will cost about $12.50. The same outfit 
without the box, without the easel, and without the resting 
stick will cost only $6.00. A student with limited means 
can use any box at hand to hold the materials, doing away 
with the expense of a box. He can also place the stretcher 
over a table, in this way avoiding the expense of an easel 
and cutting down the amount for the outfit considerably. 


19 



A low-priced outfit can also be purchased for amateurs, 
with a wooden box, about twelve varied colors, three 
brushes, oil and palette, which will cost only $2.75. This 
outfit, of course, has a limited scope, as the number of 
colors is limited and not every subject can be painted with 
them. We are certain that this information about the dif¬ 
ferent prices and qualities of goods needed for oil painting 
will be found useful. The following list of colors is added 
for the benefit of people doing advanced work or wishing 
to add varied shades to the outfit palette. 

The author of this book will send you catalog of all 
artists’ materials on request. 


American Vermil 
ion (unfading) 
Antwerp Blue 
Asphaltum 
Bitumen 
Blue Black 
Bone Brown 
Brown Ochre 
Burnt Sienna 
Burnt Umber 
Caledonia Brown 
Cappah Brown* 
Carmine Lake* 
Cassel Earth 
Chrome Green 
Chrome Green, light 
Chrome Green, 
medium 

Chrome Green, dark 
Chrome Yellow, 
lemon 

Chrome Yellow, 
medium 

Colors marked thus 


Chrome Yellow, 
dark 

Chrome Yellow, 
orange 

Crimson Lake* 
Chinese Blue 
Cologne Earth 
Cool Roman Ochre 
Cork Black 
Cremnitz White 
Flake White 
Geranium Lake* 
Emerald Green 
Gamboge* 

Gold Ochre 
Grey Tint 
Harrison Purple 
Harrison Red 
Harrison Yellow 
Ivory Black 
Indian Lake* 
Indian Red 
Indigo 

(*) are in tubes * 


Italian Pink 
Jaune Brilliant 
King’s Yellow 
Light Red 
Lamp Black 
Magenta* 

Megilp 

Mauve* 

Mummy 
Naples Yellow, 
light 

Naples Yellow, 
dark 

Neutral Tint 
New Blue* 

Olive Lake 
Payne’s Grey 
Permanent Blue* 
Permanent Green* 
Purple Lake* 
Prussian Blue 
Raw Sienna 
Raw Umber 
>x 4 inches; all oth« 


Roman Ochre 
Rose Pink 
Sap Green* 

Scarlet Lake* 
Silver White 
Sugar of Lead 
Terre Verte 
Transparent 
Golden Ochre 
Vandyke Brown 
Venetian Red 
Verdigris* 

Verona Brown 
Yellow Lake 
Yellow Ochre 
Zinnober Green, 
light 

Zinnober Green, 
medium 

Zinnober Green, 
dark 

Zinc White 
colors, 54 x 4 inches 


Alizarin Crimson 
Brown Madder 
Cerulean Blue 


Size of tubes, 

Chinese Vermilion 
Citron Yellow 

Size of tubes, 


1 / 2 x 4 inches 

English Vermilion 
French Vermilion 

^x 4 inches 


Rose Carthame 
Sepia 


Carmine No. 2 
Cobalt Green 
Cobalt Blue 
Extract of Ver¬ 
milion 

French Ultramarine 
Blue 


French Veronese 
Green 

Indian Yellow 
Lemon Yellow 
Lemon Yellow, 
pale 


Size of tubes, 


Madder Lake 
Malachite Green 
Mineral Grey 
Orange Vermilion 
Oxide of Chromium 
Oxide of Chromium, 

1 / £x 4 inches 


Transparent 
Pink Madder 
Rose Madder 
Strontian Yellow 
Scarlet vermilion 
Viridian 


Cadium Yellow, pale Cadium Yellow, medium Cadium Yellow, Orange 


Size of tubes, *4x 4 inches 

Carmine French Purple Madder Violet Carmine 

Size of tubes, * 4 x 4 inches 

Aurora Yellow Aureolin Burnt Carmine Madder Carmine 


20 


Chapter IX 
CANVASES 


1 here are many qualities, sizes and textures of can¬ 
vases. Some are smooth, some are rough, some are white, 
others are gray or buff. They vary in width from one yard 
to three yards and perhaps more. Some of the canvases 
are absorbent—that is, the preparation they have on the 
surface absorbs the color very quickly, and other canvases 
having a different preparation absorb the color very slowly 
and require several days longer for the drying of the paint¬ 
ing. Canvases can be bought at so much a yard, but can 
be bought still cheaper if purchased by the roll, which 
generally contains six yeards. Many artists buy the canvas 
already on the stretchers, so as to save the trouble of 
stretching it themselves, while other artists buy it by the 
yard and apply it on the stretchers. The stretchers can be 
bought in pieces and put together when needed. There 
are also pieces of canvas glued on strong cardboards, and 
this is very satisfactory, as it can be easily handled. There 
are also card boards covered with a coating of preparation 
over which the student can paint with oil colors. Our ad¬ 
vice to students is that if they can find a canvas mounted 
on stretchers they should buy it rather than any others. 
If you cannot find the mounted stretchers, buy half a yard 
or more of canvas and tack it carefully on a straight wooden 
board. 

A cardboard with the canvas glued on would be our 
second choice and is very good. The academy board, hav¬ 
ing no canvas but! a preparation on the surface, is not satis¬ 
factory, as the colors grow muddy and dry opaque and bad. 

We suggest that students, especially beginners, pur¬ 
chase smooth white canvas. The prices of mounted stretch¬ 
ers are about as follows : $1.00 for a 6x8; $1.25 for an 8x12 ; 
$1.75 for a 10x20; $3.00 for a 20x36; $5.00 for a 32x40, etc. 
Prices of good canvas by the yard are as follows: 27 inches 


21 


wide, 85c per yard; 36 inches wide, about $1.25 per yard; 
62 inches wide, about $9.00 per yard. If you purchase it by 
the roll it will cost about 20 per cent less. 

Cheaper canvases cost about 25 per cent less than the 
good quality, for which we gave prices. 

Stretcher pieces may be bought by the yard in the 
same manner as you buy yards of molding to make a pic 
ture frame. These stretcher pieces are constructed so that 
they can be locked at the corners and have triangle inserts 
for perfect stretching of the canvas. They are very easily 
worked. Oval stretchers are only made to order. 

Write for catalog of all articles for artists and prices. 
The author of this book will send you one free of charge. 


Chapter X 

RECIPES FOR MAKING CANVAS AND OIL FOR 
OIL PAINTING 

The coating applied on the surface of a canvas used for 
oil painting is composed of a platser of paris and fishbone 
glue. The regular brown glue can also be used if the for 
mer is not at hand. Put the glue in a kettle filled with 
water and place over the fire. Stir continually with a stick 
until the glue is perfectly dissolved. Two ounces of glue 
to a quart of water will be a fair proportion. Take some of 
the plaster of paris, well broken up and sifted, and drop 
pinches of it into the liquid glue when it is lukewarm. Mix 
and stir in the plaster until you have a mixture about as 
thick as molasses, or nearly so. Be careful not to have any 
lumps in the plaster. When the wanted consistency is at¬ 
tained, you can begin to apply this mixture on the canvas 
with a big flat brush such as the bristle brush used for 
painting. Use a large brush and cover the canvas just 
as you would whitewash a wall. Have the coating as 
smooth as you possibly can. Of course, the canvas must 
be well stretched and nailed either on the wall or on the 
floor before you apply that preparation, and when you are 


22 



through with it you must allow at least one day for drying 
the coating. 

If the surface is nice and smooth, the canvas may be 
ready for the painting, but if the coating is too thin, an¬ 
other may be applied over the former coating. Use tne 
same preparation warmed up. If it is too thick, add a little 
water and mix well. If the first coating has left rough 
parts caused by the plaster, smooth them down with a 
spatula or any fiat piece of wood and then you can apply 
tiie second coating. 

As mentioned above, the second coating is not always 
necessary. The fabric of the canvas used tor this purpose 
is generally linen canvas and preferably strong and thick. 
There are rough and smooth linen canvases to suit the 
students. We have given the recipe to help students in 
case they would wish to prepare their own canvas. This 
method was used by old masters centuries ago and has 
proved very satisfactory. 

RECIPES FOR OIL 

Oil colors are made by mixing the color powders with 
boiled linseed oil. To make this oil, purchase a good qual¬ 
ity of raw linseed oil pure. Pour it into an iron kettle and 
place on the stove in such a way that the kettle will close 
the hole on the stove completely. Cover up the receptacle 
and see that the fire does not touch the oil, as you would 
have much difficulty in puttting it out and might easily 
burn the house. Pave a slow fire, the slower the better. 
When the oil has boiled down to half its original quantity, 
put out the fire and allow the oil to cool. This is the best 
quality of oil used for oil colors. In very warm countries 
in summer time the same linseed oil can be boiled in the 
sun—that is, it may be left in the sun for' several days until 
it has evaporated to half its quantity. This method has 
also given very satisfactory oil used for the purpose. 



23 



By D. M. CAMPANA 



















Chapter XI 

MIXING OF COLORS 


By mixing one color with another, the student will be 
able to obtain shades not sold in tubes at the stores. If the 
raw Sienna is too subdued, for instance, you can make it 
warmer by adding to it a trifle of Vermilion. If the Em¬ 
erald Green is too bright, add to it a trifle of Cobalt Blue 
or a trifle of Black and you will have softer tones. Lighter 
shades are always made by adding White to the other col¬ 
ors, or also by adding any light color to a darker one. The 
beginner must know that Blue and Carmine or Lake mixed 
together will produce a beautiful Violet or Purple color. 

Yellows and Blues mixed together make Green; Ver¬ 
milion mixed with Black will make Brown; Black mixed 
with White produces a Gray color, etc. Of course, there 
are countless shades made by intermixing, and the student 
will learn continually by experience, which is the best 
teacher. If in working, the colors are too thick, add a trifle 
of the oil you have in the receptacle fastened on your pa¬ 
lette. A good many shades are only mixtures made up 
while you work and a good many are also made on the 
canvas by applying one color over the other while they are 
fresh. For instance, if the color you have now on the can¬ 
vas looks too dark, you may apply over it a trifle of a 
lighter shade, provided, of course, that the first color is still 
fresh. Mix the two together on the canvas with the brush 
itself and you will have a lighter tone. 

In reading this booklet, and in explanation of different 
points as given in the painting with oil colors, you will find 
a good many suggestions for shades and colors made in 
mixing the different tints. If you have a large space to 
cover with an even coating of one shade, you can take a 
certain quantity of the colors needed, put them together 
and with a palette knife stir and amalgamate them well 


24 


until you have a shade to cover your broad space, alike and 
even. One of the difficult tasks not only with students, but 
artists as well, is to match a certain shade. If you can 
match well, you have taken a great step toward perfect 
work, for you may then freely copy from nature and match 
not only landscape coloring but human flesh colors, etc. 
Do not for the sake of saving one or two cents try to use 
hold-over colors lying on the palette from the day before. 
Use fresh colors if you wish the best results. 


Chapter XII 

THEORY OF COLORS 

A scientific theory of color teaches us that the air is 
composed of the following colors: Violet, Indigo, Blue, 
Green, Yellow, Orange, Red; and that these colors are in 
such a proportion as to produce a general single color, the 
“White Light” which we have every day. If you drop a 
small quantity of water over a sheet of paper, and place 
over such water a drop of yellow, a drop of red, and a drop 
of blue, you will notice those three colors working into one 
another and blending together, reproducing the variety of 
colors before mentioned. 

Scientists support the contention by giving us as an 
example the rainbow, where all those seven colors are re¬ 
flected separately on the thin strata of humidity in the 
air. Science teaches also that by having those seven colors 
painted on a round disk, one close to the other, and rotating 
such a disk with a very quick movement a uniform color is 
formed which is white. It is further stated that real colors 
do not exist in nature. For instance, there is no rose that 
is red in color, no dress that is blue, no horse that is brown, 
etc., but that all objets or articles are formed of a special 
nature which decomposes one or more of the seven colors 
contained in the air. For instance, a certain rose will ab¬ 
sorb more of the red, another rose will absorb more of the 


25 



yellow, etc., in so absorbing, producing a light-wave which, 
influenced by the rays of the sun, will convey the impres¬ 
sion of red, yellow, etc., to our eye. Our eyes are formed 
of a sensitive retina that catches colors just as the ear drum 
catches sound. The same vibration made in our ear by a 
combination of sounds is made in our eye by a combination 
of colors. 

We spoke of the influence of the sun’s rays on the 
appearance of the colors, and while the rose represents a 
bright red on the side more illuminated by those sun rays, 
a darker color will be noticed on the opposite side, as the 
sun rays have less power to influence the color in the 
shadow part. If the light could be closed out entirely from 
one half of the rose, you would notice that while the half 
standing in the light is red, the other half without the light 
would be entirely black. Colors therefore must vary in 
degree of power according to the degree of light, as well as 
according to the power of the object to decompose more or 
less of the Red, Indigo, Green, etc., that are found in the 
air. Students will very often hear the expression, warm 
color and cold color, which expression is very much used 
in painting. This is no doubt derived by the warmth made 
by the fire which is yellow in color and contrasted with the 
opposite tint carrying a smaller quantity of yellow. Yellow 
is the warmest color, red the middle, and the blue is called 
the coldest of all. In fact, if you wish to harmonize those 
three colors in a certain proportion, you should use one 
part of the yellow and two parts of the red and as much 

blue as the yellow and red combined. As you notice, the 

blue is much colder than the red, and still colder than the 
yellow, which is the warmest of all. A warm effect in 
painting is therefore a picture with warm colors such as 

yellow, red, etc. By a cold effect is understood a grayish 

or bluish general tone. 




26 


Chapter XIII 
BRUSHES 


The brushes mostly used in oil color painting are stiff 
and strong. As the colors to be used are thick, it is neces- 
ary that the brush be springy and strong, and the bristle 
brush seems to be the one answering the purpose better 
than any of the others. The price of a large brush about 
one and a half inches wide, called No. 24, white handle 
and tin ferrule, is 75c. For a brush one inch wide, called 
No. 18, the price is about 40c, and for one-half an inch wide, 
called No. 12, the price is about 20c, etc., down to a very 
small size with limit price of about 10c each. There are 
also more expensive brushes used for oil painting called 
Russian Sable, flat or round. No. 12 of those Rus¬ 
sian Sable is about a half inch wide and cost about 40c. 
The No. 8, which is considerably smaller, costs about 30c, 
and so down to No. 1 with a limit of 10c. each. The flat 
brushes, either in the bristle or the Russian Sable quality, 
are the most used, though for some special work some 
artists used the round shaped brushes. The Badger Blender, 
or large and long haired brush, is often used to blend in 
colors while they are still fresh and soft. The prices of 
these blenders vary from 50c on No. 1, which is about one 
inch broad, to $3.00 for the No. 12 blender, which is nearly 
two inches wide. Flat brushes are those which are broad 
and very thin, say about the thickness of a penny, and the 
point of the hairs are cut straight, very much as a broom 
is cut. The camel hair brushes used for water color paint¬ 
ing can also be used, to paint with oil colors when these 
are thinned by medium, as often is done in working. Those 
brushes being pointed and soft are very handy to paint small 
details. 

It is advisable for students to learn painting with flat 
bristle brushes, as these give very good satisfaction, are 


27 


quickly cleaned, are stronger and can be bought at a very 
low price. 

There is also a brush called stippler which is short and 
stiff and has a flat end. They are used in pouncing over 
the fresh colors, hammering one into another for the pur¬ 
pose of blending those shades together. 

Catalog of materials used by artists will be sent on 
request. Write the author. 


Chapter XIV 

BLENDING BRUSHES 

There are a good many styles of paintings. Some are 
broad, some are smooth, and some are medium smooth. 
Many artists work with a bold stroke of the brush and leave 
such a stroke untouched. Other artists after applying dif¬ 
ferent shades, blend them lightly together with a clean, 
broad, dry brush, which is a blending of one shade into the 
other until the sharpness of the different strokes has dis¬ 
appeared. With this method, you can make any rough 
painting look as smooth as you want. Do not pounce over 
the colors but work every stroke of the blenders in a long 
way, and smoothly, barely touching the surface of the col¬ 
ors. When the points of the blenders are a little tinted 
with the colors, clean them with a clean dry rag and pro¬ 
ceed with the work again until you have the effect desired. 

The writer doubts if too smooth , a painting is very 
desirable or necessary, but is giving here the, different 
methods to accomplish different purposes, so that students 
may know by which device certain effect is attained. 

Large flat brushes, or large sable brushes, can also be 
used for blending instead of badger blenders. Use them in 
a flat way and very lightly. 

As mentioned before, this work can only be done when 
the colors are fresh, because they can then be drawn into 
one another, and this cannot be done with dry colors even 


28 



if they have been applied only a day before. When dry they 
can no longer be stretched or blended. 

In the working up of a sky, for instance, or in flesh 
work, the blending is a very good help and will shorten the 
time that would be required to produce even tints by other 
means. We may also add that oil paintings, especially 
when they are very large, such as interior decorative paint¬ 
ings on walls and ceilings, are blended and smoothed in 
with large stipplers or brushes, similar to those used for 
dusting your clothes at home. Such large paintings re¬ 
quire large tools, and when the different tints are laid on, 
the large stipplers or stippling brushes are used over them, 
pouncing and pouncing from one color to another until the 
desired smoothness is attaine:!. Stipplers are brushes with 
the hair cut straight and even. Their shape is similar to 
brushes used for shoe blacking, only with shorter and better 
quality of hair. 


Chapter XV 

BRUSH CLEANING 

It is very important that brushes used in oil painting 
should be cleaned at the end of your day’s work, or at the 
end of your lesson. If you do not wash them, the color will 
dry and if so, you will find the brush stiff and very difficult 
to clean. This of course is a quick way of spoiling brushes, 
but if you should forget to clean your brushes, dip into oil 
of cloves and leave them for a few hours until the color is 
thoroughly softened. However, brushes will always suffer 
and the student must learn to wash them every time before 
closing up his work. The cheapest way of washing them 
is to wet the brushes in clean water and rub them over a 
good sized cake of soap. Hold the soap in the left hand, 
and with the right hand rub the brushes gently on the soar* 
and rinse them in the water. Rub again and rinse, until 
you notice that no more color is left by the brushes on the 
soap; now dry the brushes with a clean rag and place them 
handle down in a glass or receptacle of any kind. 


29 



You can wash several brushes at a time if the soap is 
large enough, and when you need them the day after or 
later, you will find them nice and ready. Brushes can also 
be washed in turpentine, lavender oil, alcohol, kerosene oil, 
or gasolene; but soap is the cheapest and mostly used by 
artists in oil painting. Sable brushes, which are very deli¬ 
cate, spoil more quickly if left to dry with the color on. 

Should the student be compelled to leave at short notice 
and have no time to wash his brushes, he may dip them 
in water and leave them there until the time comes to use 
them again. Do not set them on their hair, as they thus 
acquire a crooked shape, but lay them in the water, and 
this water will, prevent the color from stiffening on the 
brushes. Hiowever, make it a rule to wash your brushes, 
as this work requires only a few minutes, and this is not 
only a very economical method, but also the one that" 
will help you to produce better work. After washing the 
brushes, straighten out their hair with your fingers so that 
they may dry with a good straight shape. 


Chapter XVI 
COLORING 

Not every artist is born a colorist; in fact, coloring 
requires study as well as any other point included in the 
production of good work such as technic, drawing, etc. It 
is true that some artists feel coloring more than others, and 
some students learn more quickly than others how to pro¬ 
duce good color effects, but study and environment teach 
to a very great extent. Artists born and brought up in 
such countries as Italy, Spain, Mexico, and other southern 
countries, are more apt to feel strong coloring than the 
artists born and brought up in northern countries such as 
Russia, Scandinavia, Canada and the United States. The 
former have a larger display of bright colors among their 
peasants and also among their general decorations, and this 


30 



is the main reason why these artists acquire the habit of 
colors as they see them all the time and it is second nature 
for them to paint those bright colors that they have grown 
up with. On the other hand, artists in northern states are 
used to gray and greenish surroundings and most of their 
paintings are of such subdued tone. However, colorism can 
be learned, especially if students will copy pictures with 
good coloring. Of course, it must be remembered that 
bright colors do not make a good painting but that har¬ 
monious colors will. 

The best colorism in painting is the one that is well 
harmonized. If your value is good and the different shades 
are well balanced, strong color will not be missed. If a 
student should habitually paint most of his work in a cer¬ 
tain tone, or constantly use the same colors, he might try 
to lay aside those colors that he has used too much and 
adopt a palette which carries an altogether different selec¬ 
tion of colors. This is a good way of learning how to color. 

TO STUDENTS 

Every student is endowed with an individual power of 
perception, which in course of time becomes trained and 
developed. This factulty is different in every student, hence 
the large variety of ideas and styles created in the forma¬ 
tion of their development. Your nature will be reproduced 
in your painting. If your nature is mild, mild subjects wdl 
be your preference, while the opposite style will be repre¬ 
sented by students having an opposite feeling. To this 
variety of feeling is attributed the large variety of styles 
which, manipulated by the different tricks and methods, 
give the world so many famous works. To acquire an art 
education there are four points which the student must 
learn: form, color, tone and composition. The knowledge 
of the first three is gained by the study of nature, and the 
fourth is more the effect of your natural feeling, of your 
inventive power and it involves the arrangement of the 
other three, for instance, form, tone and color. Form may 
be only a composition in black, such as an outline. The 
second, a tone composition such as a drawing with light 
and shades in black and white, and the third a composition 


31 


in colors which is the work commonly called painting. It 
is therefore clear that in order to reach perfection in paint- 
ing, a student must have, first of all, a good knowledge of 
form, and tone, of drawing in simple lines, of proportion 
and correct form. In the second, he must have good train¬ 
ing in light and shade, which will help him to learn the 
construction of the subject; that is, the student can arrive 
at the stage where he will be able to work on the more 
complicated object and paint with colors. 


Chapter XVII 

SHORTENING AND PERSPECTIVE 

The relative size of the part of an object or a scene are 
determined according to the distance from your eye. If 
you place a finger one inch in front of your eye, your finger 
will cover from your view a mountain at a far distance. If 
the same finger is kept at a yard’s distance from your eye, 
it will cover but a small part of the mountain, and the 
farther the finger the smaller will be its covering power. 
The reason for this reducing of size is the larger and larger 
scope embraced by your eye according to the larger retiring 
distance. If you look through such a small aperture, such 
as the hole of a needle, you will see the whole of a city at a 
distance, because the power of the eye coming through the 
needle opening expands more and more in that far distance. 
Objects reduce in size as the eye view expands, and though 
the finger appears very large when placed one inch from 
your eye, itsJ size is greatly reduced when placed at a yard’s 
distance because at that distance the eye can embrace a 
large space of atmosphere, and the finger grows smaller in 
proportion to that space. 

If you open a fan and turn the narrow part of the 
handle toward your eye and the broad open part toward the 
open space, you will have an idea of the expanding power 
of your sight. It expands from the small point of your 


32 



pupil to a larger and larger space in the form of a fan, and 
the farther the reach, the smaller the article will appear. 

If you stand in the center of a straight railroad track, 
two rails appear to run upward and to converge and meet 
at a certain point. They grow smaller and closer together 
the further they recede, and gradually join at an indefinite 
point of the landscape. While the rails rise, the telegraph 
wires appear to descend and gradually join with the rail¬ 
road track. The level line begins at the height of your eye, 
what is below your eye slants upward and what is above 
your eye slants downward. This same efifect will be noticed 
in looking at a building where the cornice will slant down¬ 
ward, while, on the other hand, the down floor will slant 
higher and higher. These two lines gradually converge into 
one another and these shortening impressions are called 
perspective. These impressions of shortening are produced 
by the vaster and vaster space embraced by your eye. In 
painting buildings, roads, etc., the student without training 
in perspecive will have a difficult task in finding the right 
angles that will give the different subjects the proper move¬ 
ment and shortening, as perspective is a special study re¬ 
quiring considerable training and knowledge of given rules. 
A small textbook containing fundamental principles will not 
be badly spent money and will be a valuable addition in the 
education of the student. 


Chapter XVIII 

CLOTHES AND DRAPERIES 

Silks, Wools, Velvets, Gauze Clothing, Linens, in fact 
all the different kind of textiles, have a peculiar way of 
folding, hanging and attaching themselves to the person or 
furniture near them. Silk folds, for instance, are sharp and 
with strong sharp high lights, strong shadows and reflec¬ 
tions. Gauze, on the contrary, has very delicate lights and 
shadows, allowing the object back of them so show through 
them. Velvets have soft folds and round edges and with 


33 



very soft shadows and reflections. Wool also is very soft 
in appearance. 

In painting a picture, the student will always try to 
reproduce those peculiarities so that the observer will know 
at once the kind of textile represented. Paint the shadows 
first with broad long touches of the brush, as the more sim¬ 
ple the treatment, and fewer the strokes, the better will 
look the subject represented. In observing the relation be¬ 
tween light and shadows, you will find that if the local 
color of the draperies is warm, the shadows will be cold; 
while if the general color is cold the shadows will be warm. 
For instance, delicate green draperies have shadows of a 
purplish color; pink draperies have shadows of warm 
purple. 

Veils are very delicate and must be treated in a simple 
way with reflection of the colors behind them. If a veil is 
covering a person’s arm or body, such arm or body must 
be seen through the delicate fabric of the veil. If veiling 
covers a blue velvet dress, the blue velvet must show 
through, etc. Work all draperies or clothes by beginning 
from the dark shadows and going gradually to the light. 
Have crisp touches and texture. Be broad and study the 
characteristic shadows in the subject you are painting. 

To represent very transparent veils covering a person’s 
arm or body, paint the effect by using the flesh colors in 
the manner that you would paint the flesh tones without 
any veil. When such colors are applied and still wet, paint 
over the flesh a few long folds, using plain white colors, 
and the effect will be good. Of course, it all depends on 
the thinness of the veil. If the veil is not very transparent, 
more white touches are needed. If the veil is in some color, 
such as black, pink, etc., you must use such colors for the 
finishing touches over your freshly applied flesh tones. As 
already mentioned, draperies and clothes are much more 
effective when applied with a broad brush and broad 
touches. Observe the character of these special folds you 
have to paint and try to paint them with an abundance of 
color and careless simplicity. 


Chapter XIX 
TRACING 


We have spoken often in this book regarding the neces¬ 
sity of drawing things correctly before attempting to apply 
the colors. It is useless to say that free hand drawing is 
the most proper way of drawing a picture, but as a good 
many of our readers are students, with no training in draw¬ 
ing, it is natural ’that we should teach them a more ele¬ 
mentary and perhaps mechanical way of taking a good 
drawing of their model. Of course, the method we speak of 
in this chapter cannot be applied to the drawing from na¬ 
ture, as in this case nothing can be substituted for free 
hand drawing. But if the beginning students have a paint¬ 
ing or study for their model they may proceed as follows: 

Place over the model that you wish to reproduce a 
sheet of tracing paper which is very transparent and through 
which you can see all details of the study below. Pin the 
paper at the four corners to keep it from slipping off and 
losing the right position. With a well-pointed pencil, out¬ 
line every little detail showing through this transparent 
paper, and be sure to leave nothing untouched; remove the 
tracing paper and you will have the drawing of the study 
absolutely correct. Now place those traced designs over 
the canvas and slip in between the canvas and this tracing 
paper one sheet of what is called Graphite paper or im¬ 
pression paper. Be sure to have the black coating of the 
impression paper turned toward the canvas. Pin the two 
papers on the canvas very securely and go over your traced 
lines with a fairly sharp pencil or with any fine point. Go 
very lightly over every part of the tracing that you made 
before and then remove both papers. Your complete de¬ 
sign will be found on the canvas. If you place the im¬ 
pression paper with the black coating toward your tracing 
paper it will leave no mark on the canvas, so you must be 
certain about this point. If you wish to copy from nature. 


35 


the best method is to draw the subject on paper, and you 
can draw and erase until you have a correct drawing; then 
you can make a tracing of that drawing and transfer it on 
the canvas by means of the carbon paper. This method 
gives you a cleaner drawing on the canvas, for if you draw 
directly, there may be too many lines which will soil the 
canvas and interfere with your painting. 

Should you find no tracing paper at hand, you may use 
any thin paper which allows your subject to show through. 
You may even pin a paper study and your tracing paper, 
well together, and trace the subject on your window pane, 
as the light coming through the window will help you con¬ 
siderably in distinguishing all the details to be traced. If 
you have no impression paper, you may shave a sufficient 
quantity of a soft lead pencil, take this black powder with 
your finger and rub it back of your tracing. When you go 
over the design with the tracer, the pencil powder will leave 
a good impression. Crayon or charcoal is also good for 
the same purpose. 


Chapter XX 
DRAWING 

Drawing is the writing of shape or form. It helps to 
represent what we see, and to describe the object made by 
our imagination. 

A good method for a simplified way of drawing from 
nature, and also from flat models, is the continuous com¬ 
parison of the height of one object with the height of an¬ 
other. Suppose you paint a landscape from nature, and at 
one side of the landscape there are a number of trees, and 
on the opposite side some mountains. It is very easy to 
have the trees or mountains out of proportion with one 
another; the mounatins may be top high or too low, or per¬ 
haps too far away from the tree. The best way to settle 
this matter is to hold a pencil horizontally in front of one 
eye (closing the other) at the height of the top of the 
mountain. If the tree appears above the pencil line, you 


36 



know that the tree is higher than the mountain. Accord¬ 
ingly you must paint it higher. If it does not appear above 
the line of the pencil, it must be painted lower than the 
monuntain. You can use the same method to determine 
how close to that special tree a house or a fence, or any 
object should be placed. In this case you hold the pencil 
in front of one eye perpendicularly and keep it, for in¬ 
stance, at the farthest branch of the tree. If the house line 
comes under the line of the pencil, the house is painted under 
the tree. If the house remains away from the line of the 
pencil it should be painted away from the tree accordingly. 
This method is similar to a plumb used by a house-builder 
tied to the end of a string. When he lowers it from the top 
of the house, he detects quickly if the wall is straight or not. 
The line of your pencil kept perpendicular in front of your 
eye will show you what comes under a given point at the 
top of the picture. If students will try and become ac¬ 
quainted with this method of comparing one distance with 
another they will find drawing easier and will have more 
correct proportion in their work. 

Suppose a man is sitting down in a chair and you are 
attempting to draw him from nature. Hold the pencil from 
the top of the head downward, and you will find which part 
of the body comes directly under the head. Another look 
at him with the pencil held in a horizontal way, using, for 
instance, the knee as a point of observation, will show yon 
where the other parts of the body are in proportion with 
the height of the knee. If you draw a face, this pencil level¬ 
ing work will show you how high one eye comes compared 
with the other, how the height of the ear compares with 
the height of the nose, how far the corner of the mouth 
comes directly under the eye. This is a method which will 
work into you, and you will be much benefited; in time 
you will be able to do away with the pencil and draw imag¬ 
inary lines. Of course slant lines are also used, and if you 
are to reproduce a building or a road, the line of the pencil 
will help you in showing how much the lines are slanting. 
If you paint a group of flowers or fruit, always compare 
the position of one part with the position of the other; how 
high it comes, how far it comes from the rose or fruit in 
the center until you have placed all subjects in the right 


37 


position. It is a kind of measurement similar to the com¬ 
parison between light and shadow, or between one color 
and another. Of course, this method can be applied also in 
copying from a painting or from a study, only in this case 
it will be found to work much more easily. If you copy 
from a study, you may use any kind of measuring device, 
as this will give you a good proportion with a limited 
amount of work to acquire a degree of mechanical practice 
which must precede theory. 


Chapter XXI 
VALUE 

In oil painting, the word value is much used. In look¬ 
ing at a picture, you may express your opinion by saying, 
“the value is good or the value is bad.” The meaning of this 
word is the harmony or the balance of the different masses 
of colors. Suppose you had a landscape in a grayish gen- 
enal tone, and you painted on one side a bright red flag. 
This flag would unbalance the general effect and the value 
of the picture would be bad. Your eye would be attracted 
by this bright spot to the detriment of the other parts of 
the picture, just as in a small orchestra made up of violins, 
the addition of a big trombone would cover all the other 
instruments and spoil the effect of the music. 

When you see a painting by Whistler in a very sub¬ 
dued tone, as for instance, the portrait of his mother, where 
all the colors harmonize with one another, where a dark 
spot on the wall counterbalances the curve made by the 
body and the color of the curtain, everything appears to 
you at once. This painting has perfect value. Paintings 
by Raphael, though in strong brilliant colors, harmonize 
well for the reason that the whole picture is brilliantly 
painted, and a spot here of red is balanced by a spot of 
yellow there and the value is perfect. Try to avoid too 
strong an effect of colors and the value will be more easily 


38 



attained. Copy good pictures for your practice work and 
the good value and the harmony of colors will work them¬ 
selves into your style of painting. 


PALETTE 


The most used palette for oil painting is the wooden 
palette made of maple or pine or mahogany wood. They 
are very thin, of light weight and the sizes vary from seven 
inches to fifteen inches in length. They may be bought 
either in a square form or oval; the oval-shaped palette is 
perhaps the most popular of the two. Artists doing much 
painting use a larger palette, but students will find a twelve- 
inch size sufficiently large. Hold it by passing the left 
hand tumb from underneath and hold the narrowest part 
of the palette toward your body. A large palette generally 
has a weight on one side, and/’ when it is on your finger the 
weight of the palette will be easily balanced and carried. 
With the same hand you must also hold the brushes and 
the rest-stick. Have .the colors distributed on the outer 
part of the palette, that is, the part opposite your body, for 
if you place the colors near your body your sleeves and 
clothes will easily disturb and spoil them. On the palette 
near the thumb holding it, you can fasten the oil receptacle, 
leaving the center of the palette clean, as this space is used 
for the mixing of colors. 

After your day’s work or your lesson is over scrape 
off all colors left on the palette with a knife. Rub the 
palette with a piece of rag until it is very clean. Do not 
leave any color to be used the following day, as those col¬ 
ors will dry and on the day after will not be of much use. 
Besides, the expense is very small, and it is always better 
to have fresh colors at every lesson. If you leave colors to 
dry on the palette, they will make a bad crust and in time 
your palette will become heavy, and you will have difficulty 
in scraping ofif the accumulation of colors. 



39 


Chapter XXII 
SUGGESTION 


One of the most useful practices for students after they 
have a certain training from nature is the copying from 
paintings that are considered good. Every painting has a 
varied effect and perhaps a different technic and style, so 
that students do not acquire a set method of seeing things 
and the changing from one style to the other gives them a 
very practical experience. It is also advisable to copy pic¬ 
tures that may strengthen your weak points. For instance, 
if your coloring is not satisfactory you should copy paint¬ 
ings having exceptionally good color effects. While, if your 
drawing or light and shadows are too dinky and uncertain, 
you must copy from paintings having the broad masses 
and plenty of strength. Do not feel ashamed to acknowl¬ 
edge or exhibit your mistakes. Accept the criticisms good 
naturedly and strive for better work. It is also not proper 
for students always to paint subjects that, are their strong 
point or that they paint well, for, if they wish to learn, they 
should be ambitious enough to undertake works requiring 
attention and continuous effort. Remember that there may 
be something in you that is not developed and that may 
come out with time and study. 

A long time ago, an artist painted the Samaritan at the 
Well. In looking at the painting, people could not tell 
which was the Samaritan and which was the Well. There¬ 
fore the young artist marked the two subjects with the 
proper name to indicate which was which. The artist no 
doubt had good sense in doing so. This good sense devel¬ 
oped later when he became a very known artist, and his 
paintings sell r.ow at a fabulous price. His name was 
Raphael. 

Of course it may not be possible for you to obtain such 
great fame, but you may develop a special ability for cer¬ 
tain subjects and style of work not dreamed of at the present 


40 


time. You have no doubt heard the story of the gentleman 
who, when asked if he could play the piano, answered he 
could not say, because he had never tried it. Perhaps when 
he tried, and studied earnestly, he could play the piano well. 
Be certain, above all things to avoid criticizing the teacher 
or the book for any bad results. It is all up to your strong 
will, to your tenacity and love of art. 


Chapter XXIII 
FLESH COLORING 
Coloring of Face, Hands, Etc. 

The colors for flesh coloring vary according to the 
styles and ways of seeing by the individual artists. While 
some artists use Terra Rossa for a certain effect, another 
artist will use Burnt Sienna mixed with other tints. A 
good palette for the painting of human features is as fol¬ 
lows: Burnt Sienna, Vermilion, Naples Yellow, Terra 
Verte, Terra Rossa, Cobalt Blue, Bone Brown, Raw Sienna, 
Dark Cadmium Yellow, Carmine Lake, Ivory Black, Flake 
White. A fair female complexion may require some of 
those colors, while a man’s strong complexion may require 
others, but, taken as a whole, eleven or twelve colors are 
sufficient for all flesh tones. 

If you have followed our suggestions from the begin¬ 
ning of this book and have drawn the subject correctly on 
the canvas, you may now begin with the coloring. The 
dark shadings are applied at first, as, for instance, shadows 
under the nose, around the eyes, under the chin, on the 
cheeks, toward the ear, or wherever such a shading is no¬ 
ticed by the student. If the figure is a woman and the com¬ 
plexion fair, use for your shading Vermilion mixed with 
a touch of Cobalt Blue and White, making the mixture a 
warm Gray. If the subject is a man with a robust com¬ 
plexion, use Burnt Sienna mixed with a trifle of Terre Verte 
and White. Should you wish to alter those shades, you 


41 



can do so by taking small proportions of other colors you 
already have on the palette, as it would be impossible to 
state here the exact quantity of colors needed without see¬ 
ing the person to be painted. Remember that the darker 
parts are to be painted before the light ones and any sug¬ 
gestions with shadings are to be painted at once. Having 
such a color at hand, you can use it also for the neck or 
hands or any part of the person showing flesh tone. Use 
your own judgment as to how far such shadings should be 
painted. Now paint the eyes. If the eyes are brown, Bone 
Brown altered with a touch of Blue may be appropriate. 
If the eyes are gray, Cobalt Blue subdued with a touch of 
Black or white, enough of this latter to make it correct 
will answer the purpose. If blue, Cobalt Blue and White 
with a very small particle of Black will give the desired 
tint. For dark eyes use Ivory Black softened with a trifle 
of White. 

The student will easily notice that White is a color also 
used to change or lighten all kinds of tints. Now begin the 
hair, but in a sketchy broad way, as this is only a prelimi¬ 
nary covering of the canvas and the real finishing will come 
at a later time. Bone Brown mixed with a little dark Cad¬ 
mium Yellow and Burnt Sienna and Cadmium Yellow 
with White will give a good foundation for blond hair; 
gray hair may be sketched with a mixture of Black, Cobalt 
Blue and much White, while black hair is generally painted 
with Black and Cobalt Blue. Notice that in the hair there 
is always a certain gloss, or high light, produced by the 
oily moisture which is natural to the human hair. This 
gloss is a strong high light and is generally seen at the side 
of the head on the curve between the top of the head and 
the ear. This line serves in rounding up the shape of the 
head and is always useful and very effective. 

By painting all the different subjects composing the 
picture, and applying the color in a rough sketchy way, 
you will be able to harmonize the whole effect more easily. 
Suppose you paint and finish the face to your own satisfac¬ 
tion, and then begin to paint the background or the dra¬ 
peries, and these be too strong in proportion to the color 
of the face. The effect would be bad and your drapery 


42 


would affect the painting. It is safer to proceed in a gen¬ 
eral way, doing this and that until the painting is roughly 
covered and to paint the details afterward. The background 
is generally applied before the flesh and in subdued color 
so as not to interfere with the coloring of the subject. For 
instance, Van Dyck Brown, either pure or mixed with Black 
or Blues, will make a rich background for a portrait. A 
dark Gray is also effective and this can be painted by using 
Cobalt Blue and a trifle of Black. Clear colors, such as 
Reds, Greens, Yellows, etc., are too bright and harmful in 
a broad brackground and it requires a skillful hand to pro¬ 
duce a good harmony of colors with them. When the back¬ 
ground and flesh are finished, turn your attention to dra¬ 
peries and clothes, and sketch them roughly as you did the 
other parts. Clothes, of course, can be of such multitude 
of shades as to make it impossible to give here adequate 
colors for every one of them. However, especially in por¬ 
traits, Black and White are the most common stades. For 
black Clothing, use Ivory Black often mixed with a touch 
of Brown and Cobalt and Blue. In the painting of dresses, 
also apply the dark shades at first without too much detail. 
The accessories, such as flowers, chairs, tables, etc., must 
also be sketched down. Now move a few steps back from 
your work and look at your picture; you should see no 
strong contrasts. The different colors you have applied 
should give a flat effect and you are now ready for more 
finished details. 

If you are a student, you cannot very well work more 
in this first sitting. It will be wise to take the picture and 
place it away in the air until thoroughly dried, which may 
require about one week. 

When dry (you may feel with your hands) proceed 
with your painting for the purpose of bringing the picture 
farther, and work more with the details. You must have 
the same colors in the palette as you had on the first appli¬ 
cation and you may begin again to paint the head. 

A good general flesh tone for a man having a healthy 
complexion is made by mixing Burnt Sienna with White 
and perhaps a trifle of Carmine. Use your own judgment 
when you mix the colors and see if a trifle more of one or 


43 


of the other would give the special shade desired. For any 
gray shading, which is often seen in flesh paintings, Terre 
Verte is a very desirable color, and this is used mixed with 
White. Apply the general flesh tone as mentioned above 
with occasional touches of Gray, especially around the chin 
or jaws where the beard grows, and blend in with the 
shadings which you have applied in the first application of 
colors. In fact, use the dark shading as used before to 
finish up and blend in with the general flesh tones. Re¬ 
member that between the light and the shadows there is 
always a delicate gray tone called neutral shading, and this 
color helps in blending in between the delicate principal 
colors such as light and shadows. The colors of the lips of 
a man is not very brilliant and can be made by mixing 
White with Carmine Lake and some Vermilion. If this 
color is too bright, add a touch of Cobalt Blue, but very 
little. The reflection of the ears, and nostrils, is always 
somewhat reddish, and this is reproduced with a trifle of 
Burnt Sienna mixed with White. Work around the eyes, 
the nose, in fact, the whole face, and attempt to add a few 
ideas of your own, as no doubt you must have enough cour¬ 
age and imagination to add to our written instructions, 
especially any peculiarities that may be found on your sub¬ 
ject. .Finish up the hair, using the same colors as used 
previously for this purpose, only more detailed, and if there 
are hands to be painted, paint them now, using the colors 
used in the head. Leave the flesh tones now as they are 
and begin to paint the accessories, such as the coat, shirt, 
etc., and retouch the background. Having worked all over 
the picture, place it to dry and leave it untouched for at 
least one week, when you may take it up again for more 
definite details. 

Flesh tones for female subjects or children are better 
attained by mixing Vermilion with White and a trifle of 
Terre Verte. For a neutral tone between the shadow and 
the light, you may use Terre Verte and White or perhaps 
a trifle of Cobalt Blue and White, and you will have a good 
gray tone which may be toned down with a trifle of Ver¬ 
milion. In any painting of figures, it is advisable to have 
the different flesh colors painted in together, and this can 
be done by smoothing them up with a dry brush, going 


44 


lightly from, one into the other while the colors are still 
fresh. When the colors are dry such smoothing and touch¬ 
ing is very difficult. 

We also must return to the general rule of allowing 
the painting to dry perfectly before painting over it again. 
The dryer the painting the better it will be, and if you do 
not follow these rules and paint over the same colors day 
after day the picture will in time become muddy and dark. 
That is always the result of repeated coatings of oils ap¬ 
plied over one another before drying. Perhaps you must 
finish the paintings in a certain time and you cannot allow 
weeks for the drying. In this case you could pamt and 
finish one part of the picture at a time. Say you divide the 
picture into four or six parts, then you may paint and finish 
one today and one tomorrow, etc., until the picture is fin¬ 
ished. This method of painting can be more easily done if 
you are copying a study or a picture, and it is always ad¬ 
visable to leave the part you painted yesterday untouched. 
Keep up the painting until all parts are well finished. 

We have spoken in this chapter of general colors used 
for portrait work. Of course, such colors are also used for 
any part of the figure where flesh tones are required. Colors 
that are very much used in flesh tones are Raw Sienna, 
Naples Yellow, India Red, Emerald Green, Terre Verte and 
several others. These shades are frequently mixed with 
Vermilion and flesh tones in order to produce the proper 
shades desired. Remember that the background has a good 
deal to do with the flesh tones. For instance, if your back¬ 
ground is in a general greenish dark tint, the flesh tones 
must also have considerable greenish reflection. In this 
way the figure and the background will be more closely 
related and the atmosphere better understood. If the back¬ 
ground is in a warm color, such as Van Dyck Brown, Burnt 
Sienna, etc., the flesh must also have of those warm tones 
and less green. In other words, all colors in the picture 
must harmonize in order to have the proper value of colors. 
Remember that in nature unless the subject is perfectly 
flat, there are always light tones, neutral tones and shad¬ 
ows. In flesh work, this middle tone is gray and is always 
found between the light and the dark, acting as a blender. 


45 


Man’s Colors (Robust Complexion) 

For general color: 

Burnt Sienna, White, trifle Carmine Lake. 

For shading: 

Terre Verte, trifle White. 

Lips: 

Carmine Lake, White, trifle Cobalt Blue. 

Woman’s Colors (Fair Complexion) 

For general color: 

Vermilion, White, trifle Cobalt Blue. 

For shading: 

Vermilion, Terre Verte, White. 

For Grays: 

Cobalt Blue, White, trifle Vermilion. 

Lips: 

Vermilion, trifle Carmine Lake, White. 

Children 

For general color: 

About the same colors as female, only a trifle more 
Vermilion. 

For shading: 

Same as female, only a trifle Carmine Lake added. 

For Grays: 

Same as female. 

Lips: 

Same is female, only a trifle more Vermilion. 

Brown Eyes: 

Bone Brown, Van Dyck Brown, trifle White. 

Gray Eyes: 

Cobalt Blue, trifle Black, White. 

Blue Eyes: 

Cobalt Blue, trifle Terre Verte, White. 

Hair Colors 

Brown Hair: 

Bone Brown, trifle Burnt Sienna, trifle Naples Yellow 
Blonde Hair: 

Raw Sienna, Dark Cadmium Yellow, White. 


Gray Hair: 

Black, White, trifle Cobalt Blue. 

A very small addition of other colors to those men¬ 
tioned above will alter the shades and make them correct 
for your purpose. It will be necessary to add one or another 
shades, as human features are very varied indeed in their 
coloring. 


Chapter XXIV 

PORTRAIT PAINTING 

Portrait painting is a very difficult work, especially for 
students inexperienced in the technic of this art and not 
well acquainted with drawing. Drawing—here lies the 
whole secret in a nutshell, as portrait painting, as well as 
any painting, can be accomplished in two or three colors 
with perfect results and likeness if only the drawing is 
correct. The meaning of this word should not be misunder¬ 
stood ; often it is taken" to mean the outlining of the subject 
in pencil, and to study drawing people think it is sufficient 
that the student accomplish a certain combination of pencil 
or ink lines producing a figure, a landscape, etc., but this is 
not so. Drawing, proper, means roundness of the figure, 
the perspective, for instance, of the nose showing adjust¬ 
ment to the cheek and the cheek gradually rounding up 
toward the ear and back of the head, etc., the roundness of 
the eyes from the eyebrow to the eyelids and down around 
the eye-ball, showing the different curves of the face. Draw¬ 
ing is not the flat line. It is the shading which, darker here 
and lighter there, must give the impression of relief. It 
must not only show the proper curve of the nose, but it 
must show that behind the nose there are other spaces, 
muscles, etc. 

If you place a perfect cube made of white plaster on 
the table in front of the sunlight, you will notice that one 
part of the cube is light and the other part is dark, and if 
you were to reproduce that cube in painting, it would be 
necessary for you to paint one side light and one dark. The 
simple outline of the cube would not be sufficient to give 


47 




Bv D. M. CAMPANA 













the effect of the original, as the outline would only look 
flat and without relief. The same suggestion applies to the 
painting of a figure where, to make it look round, you must 
show the proper light and shadow. 

The word drawing also means proportion in a figure, 
especially the lack of proportion is easily detected. If the 
hand or foot is too large, the painting has poor drawing. 
The word drawing also means atmosphere, which is noth¬ 
ing but fitness of space. In fact, drawing is the mainstay 
of everything and is acquired by continuous study and con¬ 
tinuous practice. 

It is very necessary to know that in art, coloring is of 
much less importance than drawing, that is, the brilliant or 
soft coloring that you see in the picture prints is not an 
absolute necessity in the making of good portrait painting. 
While Titian has a powerful brilliancy, Rembrandt used 
rather subdued colors, such as grays and browns. Raphael 
used bright coloring and Michael Angelo, on the other hand, 
made strong use of browns, greens with crafty shades. The 
modern artists also have different styles and ways of ex¬ 
pressing their color. Lembach used very few colors in his 
portraits, and very often, especially in his portraits on wood, 
you can clearly see the pencil lines made previously to the 
application of colors. A few touches on the hair, a few 
delicate shadings in the face, a white stroke on the collar, 
a few high lights on the eyes and nose and the portrait was 
finished and finished beautifully. His work was nearly 
monochrome and yet very realistic. 

Sargent uses clear coloring, simplicy of touch and 
still produces masterpieces. We have given these few in¬ 
stances to show that the attention of the student should 
not be absorbed by the study of coloring, but bv the study 
of drawing, the studv of the proper placing of shades that 
will represent the subject in the roundness seen in real life. 

The words portrait painting will bring to your mind at 
once the head of the person represented in the picture, and 
the head is no doubt the representative part and the most 
difficult to execute. To copy and reproduce on the canvas 
the likeness of the model is no easy matter, as besides the 
human features, the spirit or feeling of the person must be 


48 


felt—that is, if the subject is generally of joyful disposition, 
the portrait should be made to represent the person with 
that feeling which is more common to him or her. If the 
subject is of a stern temperament, a very true portrait is 
made when such a person is shown in a position represent¬ 
ing a stern expression. For this reason a doctor, priest, 
judge, writers, etc., are generally painted standing or sit¬ 
ting near a table with a sober expression and with a book 
close at hand. While, on the contrary, a lady is painted 
with a pleasing countenance, a child with a smiling face, 
etc. A child with a book in her hand would not be appro¬ 
priate, neither would an elderly person appear correct if 
painted in a garden catching butterflies. The position of 
the.arms and body should be studied and the hands should 
be allowed to rest comfortably. 

... If you are to paint a portrait from nature, be sure to 
have the light coming from only one window, so as not to 
have antagonizing lights illuminating the sitter. If pos¬ 
sible, have a north light, as this light remains very even 
during the day, provided there is no strong reflection 
thrown into the studio by nearby houses. Reflections are 
changing and are hard on the eyes. It is advisable to make 
a few small sketches of the subject in oil and put them 
aside for comparison. A good many artists make two or 
three or four sketches of the subject in oil to make them 
acquainted with the features and with the peculiarities of 
the sitter. After these preliminary sketches, they begin the 
large painting and work quickly with a free touch, as they 
now have a general knowledge of the color desired, and 
from the comparison of these different sketches they feel 
more' positive regarding the likeness. 

Students not advanced enough to paint from nature 
and desiring to copy a painting or a printed study should 
first of all have a good clean drawing made on paper and 
then apply this drawing over the canvas with a sheet of im¬ 
pression paper between canvas and drawing. Trace over 
your drawing with a pointed tracer or hard pencil. This 
done, remove both paper and the impression sheet and 
your clean drawing will be found on the canvas. 

Copying from a picture does not require many of the 
requisites needed in painting from nature. For instance, 


49 


any fair light is good eonugh, as your model, being flat, 
always receives a proper light. You may hang the picture 
to be copied on the wall or place it on a board in front of 
you and begin to apply the colors. It is better to paint 
standing up, as you can often walk back and have a better 
look of the picture from a distance, and in this way you will 
notice your mistakes. 


Chapter XXV 

LANDSCAPE FROM NATURE 

One of the difficulties in copying a landscape from 
nature is the continuous change of light and atmospheric 
conditions. If you begin the painting of a scene, say, the 
first of July, applying all the colors as represented on the 
scene you are copying, and return ten days later to retouch 
or finish your painting, you very likely will find an alto¬ 
gether different color effect and may have to change your 
general tone. In its turn this may have to be changed 
again on your third or fourth sitting. It is therefore of 
importance that you memorize a great deal in nature and 
afterwards combine your recollections and modify them 
into a good imitation of the scene you copy. To a great 
artist the imaginative faculties are the most precious gift, 
and when he looks at natural scenery not only his hands 
and eyes are at work, but his observant spirit as well. One 
of the difficulties in working from nature is to know how 
to select the best parts or how to eliminate others so as to 
make a pleasing and correct composition. It is not neces¬ 
sary to include the entire scenery displayed in front of you. 
A few trees coming up on one side of the painting, with a 
road curving gently in the center of the picture, an uneven 
horizontal line a little above the center of the painting, and 
the composition may be complete and good, though very 
simple. A certain mass of color on one side of the picture 
or in the center, be it trees, houses, rocks, etc., is always 
effective and fills up without appearing to overcrowd. Avoid 
any composition that has cross lines or too straight a line 
dividing the picture into equal parts. 


50 



Chapter XXVI 

PAINTING LANDSCAPES 


Presuming that the student wishes to paint a land¬ 
scape from nature, land, sky, water, trees, etc., his main 
aim should be to produce an effect that will not be striking 
in some part and very subdued in other parts of the picture. 
The value of the painting is not in effects that attract by 
the brilliancy of their colors, but by the general value of 
the shades included in the whole of the picture. For in¬ 
stance, a very bright foreground must have an adequately 
bright background, as otherwise one would kill the other. 
An even scale of color is absolutely necessary. On account 
of this, it is always advisable to sketch the whole painting 
before beginning to finish the individual details. You may 
consider afterwards which part of the picture needs more 
color and which part should be shaded down to conform 
with the whole work. Study your atmosphere and produce 
the special light of day which your picture is supposed to 
depict. If your picture, for instance, represents a full sunny 
day, your sky should be blue and clear, your trees a clear 
green, the roads, houses, mountains, etc., should be painted 
in clear touches of reds, yellows and brown colors without 
dull spots. If your picture represents a shady day or a 
cloudy day, all of the colors must be subdued and you must 
use more grays, purples and violet colors mixed with the 
bluish greens, and occasional touches of browns. If you 
had touches of red, or clear greens, or yellows, your picture 
would have the contrast of a shady day effect, with the 
spots of a sunny day all in one painting, making a contrast 
that is out of place. 

Your atmosphere must be correct in all particulars so 
that an observer may quickly depict the meaning of your 
work without your having to explain what the painting 
represents. If you paint from nature, forget that the trees 
are green, bricks red, water blue, tree trunks brown or any 


51 


such idea as you may have as to how things should look. 
That the trees are green everybody knows, but such an 
impression in your mind is bound to influence you to make 
that particular tree more green than it should be to har¬ 
monize with other parts composing the picture. The atmos¬ 
phere between you and the tree modifies the colors very 
much indeed, and the greater the distance the more subdued 
must be the color of that tree. A mountain is composed of 
earth, rocks, bushes, trees, etc., and all subjects should in¬ 
dividually be painted with a good deal of brown, green 
and dark colors, and still you will notice that in all paint¬ 
ings those mountains are painted in a delicate bluish and 
violet hue nearly flat. This indiflnite shade gives you the 
sense of distance a shade void of details and very restful. 
If you allow an art beginner to paint a landscape without 
having a fair knowledge of perspective of colors; he will 
paint those mountains a dark and prominent color; the trees 
will have apples that appear to be easily reached with your 
hand, while perhaps those apple trees are planted two or 
more miles away. Those beginners are using their inner 
impression and paint those mountains and those trees as 
they know they are. They paint from memory and they 
lack the sense of perspective because their eyes are not 
trained to do otherwise. Remember that all subjects on 
the foreground are stronger in coloring, that is, clearer in 
colors than those of the background far away from you, 
and the farther the landscape recedes the more neutral and 
lighter should the color appear. Have a foreground full of 
details, a middle ground with a little detail and the back¬ 
ground without details. 

Though you are able to see individual leaves in a near¬ 
by tree, you cannot do so at a distance of a mile or two 
away, hence the necessity of lack in details. Good colors 
for the foreground are Emerald Green, Cadmium Yellows, 
Vermilion, Cobalt Blue, Indian Yellow, etc., which, because 
of their brilliancy, brings things near to you. Burnt Sienna, 
Carmine Lake, Dark Green, Violet, Raw Sienna, etc., will 
make good tones for middle ground. Grays are appropriate 
for far away grounds, 

Painley says too servile imitation of each individual 
part is sure to lead to littleness of style and the object being 


52 


thus obtrusive will destroy the breadth of the picture. Sug¬ 
gestiveness is therefore desired and especially on those ob¬ 
jects forming the middle and background of the picture. 
All hard lines and colors represented in the foreground will 
be discarded in the background and the distance will thus 
recede, forming a proper atmosphere. 

Having mentioned the perspective of colors, we must 
also mention the perspective of proportions. For instance, 
do not have a person in the landscape of a size that does 
not compare favorably with other articles or vegetable life 
near him. Do not make the man look larger than a tree 
or a house or otherwise out of keeping with the other things; 
do not have animals bigger than houses. All these little 
suggestions apparently superfluous are not unneccessary, 
as the writer has seen a good many students making a large 
number of mistakes of this kind. 

Of course, if you copy] from a painting on canvas or a 
paper study, the majority of these difficulties will be elim¬ 
inated. In that case, you may measure your painting and 
the subject included therein. What you have to do there 
is to have a correct drawing of the painting, either freehand 
or by tracing the study with tracing paper. Occasionlly 
you may step back from your work and compare it with 
the model. Look at both also through a looking glass, as 
through the looking glass your work will be seen reversed 
and a good many faults not seen in your picture while 
working will be detected with a looking glass. 

In this book we have written rules, suggestions, ideas, 
etc., and the student should look at the index whenever 
special rules are needed. Also reread this book and you 
will always find something that you may have forgotten 
and that may be of help to you. 



53 




Chapter XXVII 
SKY 


The general effect of the sky should be made to retire. 
It should convey the idea of indefinite distance, distance to 
pierce through, and not a distance that will appear like a 
fiat covering of the canvas. In order to obtain this indefi¬ 
nite distance, an indefinite color must be used, a color that 
is blue, but not very clear and hard. A hue toned down 
with a trifle of varied colors, such as Vermilion, Burnt 
Sienna, Dark Cadmium and White, according to the special 
effect represented ii> the picture. 

It is difficult to paint the sky, its proper nature being 
very soft and transparent. It must not hang as a plain 
sheet, and though its color is blue, the shade must be sub¬ 
dued and toned down comply with the general effect of 
the picture. If the sky you are looking at is clear and void 
of clouds, you will notice that at a far distance its color is 
much lighter than the sky over your head. If there are 
clouds near by, these are also stronger in color than the 
clouds in the distance, and these latter must be painted in 
lighter colors. A clear blue sky is void of moisture. The 
more moisture there is in the air, the more the sky will lose 
its brilliancy and become dull and dark. It is unnecessary 
to explain that clouds can never be painted from nature. 
They are so full of rapid changes as to make any attempt 
to copy them from nature almost futile. Such quick changes 
may not be noticed by the unobservant, but students will 
not be able to follow their changes and reproduce them in 
the painting exactly as they saw them the first time. 

Clouds are nothing else than moisture or fog gathered 
in the air and moved around by wind currents. The chang¬ 
ing or meeting of colder or warmer currents condense this 
humidity or fog and turns it into rain. Notice that in the 
distance, right over the mountains, there are always heavy 


54 


clouds caused by the humidity or evaporation from those 
mountains. Shapes of clouds vary according to wind and 
distance. If the wind strikes them from underneath or 
from above, they will acquire a round, woolly form; if the 
wind strikes them from the side, their form will be long 
and narrow. In painting solid clouds, do not have them too 
flat and solid. Shade them on the side opposite the sun and 
have the high lights toward the sun. Give them always a 
certain roundness and they will float better and more easily. 
On an evening with a good sunset the clouds are illumi¬ 
nated and become yellow, red, brown, gray and finally dis¬ 
appear for lack of light. On a stormy, dark day they will be 
of a nearly gray tone, that is, nearly gray. Thus, the light 
of the day influences their color at all times. 

As mentioned before, all high lights in the clouds 
should be shown towards the sun, as from the sun emanates 
all light, and through some reflection from other clouds may 
give contrasting light, the rule should be observed and re¬ 
membered by students. You may very often hear of the 
blue sky of Italy, Spain, Mexico, etc., and those regions 
have really a sky with a strong blue color, because the 
humiditity in the air is too slight to affect the depth of the 
firmament. In northern countries, such as England, Russia 
and the northern part of the United States, where the cli¬ 
mate is colder, the humidity is greater and the sky is less 
bright. When the student begins to paint a landscape, the 
sky would have the first attention, as the strength and color 
of the air must influence the other part included in the 
landscape. 

Begin at the upper part of the picture and come grad¬ 
ually down until you reach the horizon. A good color for 
a clear sky is Cobalt Blue mixed with White, enough of 
this latter to suit your general effect. You may also tone 
it down with a trifle of Vermilion, as sometimes the Cobalt 
Blue and White give too clear a tone and a trifle of Ver- 
milian mixed with them will make this shade much more 
soft and pretty. Begin to paint at the upper part of the 
picture, and in coming down add continually of the White 
so as to lighten up the color. Clouds can now be put in 


55 


with broad strokes and with varied touches of brown or 
gray, according to need. 

On a stormy day, of course, the sky must not be painted 
blue; neither can it be painted blue in the evening or at 
dawn. To help a beginner as much a& possible, we give at 
the end of this chapter a variety of sky effects and the 
different colors that are best used to paint such effects. 
The student should also use his own judgment in adding- 
trifles of colors that may improve or complete the picture. 

By all means, do not paint today over the work you 
did yesterday or the day before, but allow that part to dry 
perfectly before you retouch it. If the painting is too large 
for you to sketch it all at one time, divide it in parts and 
paint one part today, one part tomorrow, until the whole 
picture it sketched. Apply the colors of the clouds in a 
round touch and intermix and blend in the shadows with 
the sky so that they do not appear cut off. The perfect 
atmosphere in a sky will be the one that is well blended in 
and that has no straight lines or any part of the clouds that 
will suggest division of the picture. 


Clear Day and Blue Sky 

For Sky 

Use Cobalt Blue, White and trifle of Vermilion; add 
more White the nearer you come to the horizon. 

For Stormy Sky 

Use Cobalt Blue, White and Raw Sienna; add more 
White toward the horizon. 

For Sunset 

Use White, Emerald Green, a trifle of Cobalt Blue and 
a trifle of Vermilion at the upper sky. Going down toward 
the middle of the picture, add a trifle more Vermilion. Near 
the horizon add dark Cadmium Yellow. Blend the three 
shadings together. 

For Night Effect 

Use Black or a trifle of Cobalt Blue and a trifle of 
White. If there is a moon, have this in White mixed with 
a trifle of Naples Yellow. The edges of the clouds are also 
illuminated with this color, though not so striking. 


Clouds 


For Bright Sunny Day 

Shade clouds with White mixed with a trifle of Bone 
Brown and a trifle of Cobalt Blue. The high lights are in 
White mixed with trifle dark Cadmium Yellow. 

For Stormy Day 

Bone Brown, trifle dark Cadmium Yellow, White. For 
high lights, use less Brown and more White. 

For Sunset 

Near the horizon use Vermilion. Some of the clouds 
are more purplish. Therefore add trifle of Cobalt Blue to 
the Vermilion coming up from the horizon toward the 
upper part of the picture and make the clouds lighter by 
adding White and a trifle of Emerald Green or Blue. Sun¬ 
set clouds are generally long strips, some broad, some nar¬ 
row. If you copy a painting on canvas or paper, rules will 
have to be changed according to the model. 

It can be said that no two sunsets are alike, as the 
variety of clouds and colors is always different and striking. 
A ray of sun is occasionally seen coming out from between 
the clouds and changing the brilliancy of the sky effect into 
a bluish, delicate gray. Some times the clouds are small, 
woolly and in column-like succession, moving slowly and 
orderly, a mass of wandering spirits, exploring the unknown 
vastness of the sky. It is impossible to define a form or a 
color for clouds, as any form or color is found in them at 
different times. If the student acquires a little skill in 
painting them with soft edges and transparent tints, he will 
make no mistake and his or her work will be satisfactory. 
Copy a number of pictures having good sky effects, as this 
will train you toward a better understanding of the atmos¬ 
phere. Do not attempt to represent the sun itself, as your 
painting can never represent its immense power of light. 
Even in a sunset the sun effect is a very difficult matter, 
and by covering it with a cloud you can more easily give 
a fair imitation of clouds and sky conditions. 



'7 



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By D. M. CAMPANA 




















Chapter XXVIII 
ROCKS 


In landscape a few rocks here and there are very 
effective and their character is not very difficult to repro¬ 
duce. One of the main requisites in the painting of rocks 
is the simplicity of stroke in the shading. Apply first the 
light parts of those rocks with broad flat touches of the 
brush, using White toned down with Black or a trifle of 
Bone Brown, or both, according to the effect. Then make 
another mixture which you consider dark enough for the 
shading, using about the same colors, only less White, and 
apply a flat broad shadow on one side of the rock and per¬ 
haps a touch or two at the bottom where the rock joins the 
ground. A long thick touch through the light part with 
the dark color and perhaps a touch or two of Green to 
suggest moss will make it more effective. A few branches 
here and there will also give more life to the picture. 
Stones or small rocks are also made with a single broad 
shadow, only be sure to apply the light first and the shad¬ 
ows afterward. Colors most used in rocks are Bone Brown, 
Van Dyck Brown, Black and White. A touch of Crimson 
Lake mixed with the dark shadows will warm up the effect. 


Chapter XXIX 
MARINE PAINTING 

A marine painting is a water scene with plenty of open 
air, sky, boats, etc. Most of the marine paintings have a 
considerable quantity of clouds, as there are formations of 
humidity produced by the water itself. As such an open 
scene is generally habited by winds, the clouds are nearly 
always large and full of colors with a rounding shape, and 
the clear sky behind them is of a deep blue. It is often 


58 



noticed that while still water, such as pond water or small 
lake water, reflects the clouds and surroundings, the sea 
water is generally of a greenish tone, deep, or of a dark- 
blue hue, without reflections. The rough surface of the 
sea water accounts for these colors, as the waves break up 
the mirror-like reflections given by a quiet body of water. 
In painting still water, apply the colors with a horizontal 
stroke, blending in the reflected articles in the distance, tne 
reflections of clouds, boats, trees, etc. Paint on those reflec¬ 
tions first and add afterward the general local tint, gray, 
green or blue, as the case may be. 

On a rough sea water, apply the colors with a wavy 
stroke that will conform with the shape of the waves. 
Apply the dark shadows of those waves and you may add 
afterwards the middle tones and finally the high lights and 
the foaming sprays seen at the top of the waves. There is 
a good deal of strength in those masses of moving water 
and some of the dark shades are nearly black or a very 
dark blue. Therefore paint them with a sure hand and a 
strong touch with occasional emerald green reflections, plen¬ 
ty of motion, for your handling of colors and brush should 
not be too tame. 

If there are boats, sails, buoys, etc., apply those inci¬ 
dental subjects after the water has been painted, as their 
reflection will figure here and there in the water itself. All 
reflections must be painted darker than the real color of the 
subject casting that particular reflection. For instance, if 
the sail is clean white, the reflection is a trifle grayish; if 
the buoy is vermilion, the reflection is nearly as dark as 
Burnt Sienna, etc. Clouds and sky also, when reflected in 
the water, should be painted darker than their natural color, 
this change being caused by the depth of the water, much 
like the backing of a looking glass that makes you appear 
more pale or more red, according to the quality of the sil¬ 
vering of its back. 

All reflections should be painted directly under the boat, 
sail or other object casting such reflection. Of course, in a 
rough water reflections are very much broken up, while on 
quiet water they often reproduce the object entirely. Small 
ripples, breaking them up, painted in a long, horizontal line, 
will improve the transparency. 


59 


Chapter XXX 

TREES AND FOLIAGE PAINTING 


Every species of tree or brush has a different kind of 
leaf and stem. For instance, the pine tree has small, 
straight leaves moving upward. The weeping willow tree 
has long branches and leaves growing downward. The oak 
tree has broad leaves and branches moving outward, and 
so students must study all kinds of trees in order to under¬ 
stand their true character. By using your brush according 
to their shape and the shape of their leaves, you can more 
easily portray the different trees. 

The pine tree, which has straight leaves moving up¬ 
ward, may be painted with small, straight strokes of the 
brush in a perpendicular way, very much like line work, 
while the oak tree should be painted with horizontal 
strokes, and the weeping willow with long, downward 
strokes, etc. This method of showing the movement and 
the character of those trees by the different way of paint¬ 
ing them is very effective and saves considerable time. In 
painting trees in a landscape you must not show the accurate 
form of the leaves, for on account of their distance you are 
not supposed to see their form, and the shape of your brush 
work is sufficient to give a good suggestion without too 
much work. 

Notice that leaves in one tree may be scattered and 
divided in small clusters branching out from all parts of 
the main stem, while other trees have leaves growing more 
closely together and in clusters of large size at the end 
of the main branch. Study well the movement of the 
tree trunks. Some have a smooth, straight bark, moving 
straight upward; some trunks are uneven, twisted and full 
of knots, and still others have a broken bark with cracks, 
roots, etc. 

A person that looks at a beautiful scene will appreciate 
the general view and will wonder at God’s creation, but will 


60 


not anticipate the many details that must be absorbed by an 
artist painting such a view, and the difficulties encountered. 
It is a very frequent error of students to consider the paint¬ 
ing of trees a very easy matter, for trees are difficult, not 
only because of their different species, but also because they 
appear easily moving, with transparent foliage, with the 
sky showing through the leaves. The effect must be light 
and easy and not a solid mass of color. In painting them, 
have the darkest part in the center of that cluster. Have 
also occasional open spaces where the sky is seen. Be sure 
and put in those branches after painting the sky, and leave 
the sky spaces open when you apply the foliage. Paint the 
branches of stems after the foliage, and make those stems 
work through here and there in a quick and easy manner, 
appearing and disappearing between the foliage, and be 
careful not to have your lines too straight, which would 
give the appearance of wires. 

Begin to paint foliage with thin shadings of colors and 
apply the heavier touches later. Thick touches will im¬ 
prove the effect. Be sure and see that the tree you are 
painting will keep its true character, so that the observer 
may recognize it at once as a birch tree, an oak tree, a fruit 
tree, etc. 

Everybody knows that in painting it is necessary to 
differentiate carefully between a\ dog and a cat, while many 
people paint trees in the same general way, without regard 
to the different species whose character is as distinctive 
as that of animals. Observe before you paint, as the power 
of seeing correctly is gained by a careful examination of 
the general appearance. Before you proceed to eliminate 
any object, examine and understand the leading feature, 
then learn the small component parts, their shape, propor¬ 
tion, etc. Bushes are also varied in character, though not 
as decidedly as trees. 



61 







Chapter XXXI 


SNOW SCENE 

The color of snow is white, but in connection with a 
full landscape with trees, houses, roads, etc., its color be¬ 
comes gray and sometimes gray leaning toward violet. Of 
course the condition of the weather and sky has a good deal 
to do in influencing the effect. If the sky is dark and sullen, 
the snow of a landscape appears a cold gray. If the sky is 
warm, as, for instance, at sunset time, the color of the snow 
is nearly violet. On a clear sunny day its color is close to 
white, perhaps a trifle blue. You may notice this effect in 
looking at footprints or wagon marks made in the sonw, as 
you will then see certain parts which are darker and certain 
spots which are lighter. These high lights are painted with 
clean touches of White and this white will accentuate the 
gray tone of the landscape. 

Paint snow in large, broad touches, as this will make a 
softer effect. Softness is the true nature of snow. You 
very often see a snow landscape with a strong light, corning 
out of a cottage window, or a sun ray when the sun is going 
down. This effect is very pretty and is made by painting 
the light in Vermilion mixed with White or Carmine Lake 
mixed with White. The snow scene must be painted first 
and rather dark and violet, as at the time of day when 
houses use artificial lights or at sunset time the scene is 
naturally a little dark. The strips of light coming out of 
the cottage windows illuminating the road and tree will 
make a very nice contrast. All shadows cast by trees, 
banks and brushes are of a strong violet color. Trees not 
under this artificial light are of a cold tint made with Bone 
Brown and a trifle of White. Use the same color for the 
occasional fence, the crows, etc., as these incidental items 
make the painting more interesting. 


62 


Snow Scene 


Sky 

White mixed with a trifle of Cobalt Blue and a trifle 
of Bone Brown. 

General Snow Eiect Over Field 

White mixed with trifle of Cobalt Blue and trifle of 
Vermilion; very little of this latter. Often a touch of Black 
mixed with White gives the special tint desired. 

Cast Shadows 

Blue, a trifle of Crimson and White with perhaps an 
addition of Black. 

Trees 

Bone Brown with touch of White. 

Artifiicial Light 

Vermilion or Carmine Lake mixed with a trifle of 
White. 


Chapter XXXII 
FLOWER PAINTING 

When we speak of flower painting, portrait painting, 
landscape painting, etc., we always refer to the painting 
from nature, as this seems to be the most important and 
difficult work in this branch of art. When students are 
copying from a study or from a painting, our special sug¬ 
gestions of colors cannot always be adhered to because 
nature’s effects are unlimited and the model may require 
colors not included in these pages. Therefore, when you 
paint from models, you may change some of the colors or 
add others until your effect is correct. In painting flowers 
from nature, it will be easier to paint them indoor, as the 
light will then be directed on the flowers from only one side 
and the light! and shadows will be more clearly understood. 
Out-of-door painting is difficult, as the light illuminating 
the flowers comes from all directions, which fact hampers 
the beginner considerably. 

Arrange and group all the flowers with good taste—- 


63 



with occasional leaves between them, allowing parts of the 
background to show through them here and there, as this 
will add to the atmosphere. Have them either in a pot or 
lying on the table carelessly, with only one window throw¬ 
ing light on them. Hlave a correct drawing made with the 
pencil and very light, and you will find that this will help 
you when you come to apply the colors. If you are not 
very strong in drawing, you may draw your subject on 
paper and then trace it and pass it afterwards on the canvas 
with impression paper and the lines will be light and clean. 

In another chapter of this book we give different colors 
used for different subjects, such, as roses, violets, chrysan¬ 
themums, etc., and the students may refer there when they 
paint those given subjects. In the painting of flowers it is 
necessary to avoid too solid a form. Petals of nearly all 
kinds of flowers are delicate and transparent, their edges 
well moulded and twisted, and you must study their peculi¬ 
arities in these movements of shape and colors. Have crisp 
high lights and be certain you paint some occasional sharp 
details; also that each individual flower has more light on 
one side and more shadow on the opposite side. 

All flowers have a curved shape and the light and 
shadow applied correctly will help to bring out this effect. 
We must mention further the appearance of reflected lights 
on the flowers, especially on those whose nature is of a 
very thin texture, as, for instance,, in the petals of roses, 
orchids, wild roses, carnations, etc. Those petals are so 
thin that the daylight penetrates them and in coming 
through it gives a certain light which is very bright and 
pretty. If you are new in copying from nature, you will 
not notice these reflections, but if you observe a rose well 
illuminated by daylight, you will see in the petals toward 
their attachment to the main stem a tint clearer and lighter 
than all the other parts of the rose. In a pink rose those 
reflections will be in Vermilion. If the rose is dark red, the 
reflection will be of a pink or Carmine color. If the rose is 
yellow, the reflection will be of a Dark Cadmium yellow, 
very bright, etc. The light coming through such a thin 
tissue shows the nature of such a tissue, the same as a per¬ 
son standing in front of the sunlight will show at the ear a 
strong reflection which is very red, produced by the sun’s 


64 


rays coming through the thin tissue of the ear and showing 
the blood therein. 

In painting flowers always apply the darkest colors 
and shadows first. Sketch down all the flowers and leaves 
roughly and the vase or whatever is in the picture, and do 
not begin to finish any part of the picture before the canvas 
is completely covered. In painting the leaves, be certain 
that you have the true shape of leaves belonging to that 
particular kind of flower. Rose leaves have one shape; 
poppy leaves have another shape; violets still another, etc , 
and be sure of every peculiarity pertaining to those leaves, 
how they are bent, how they are attached to the stem, how 
many in the branch, what a shape of denting they have at 
the edge, and finally their special color. Rose leaves are 
nearly flat with a sawlike edge and come in clusters of 
three, five and seven leaves. Lilies have long, narrow leaves 
with an even edge. Poppies have twisted leaves with a 
very broken and uneven edge, etc. We wish to teach the 
student the advantage of knowing how to notice the dif¬ 
ferent characters in ‘still life. We mentioned before that 
in a picture of this kind it is advisable to have occasional 
parts of the background show through some of the flowers 
and leaves, as a too solid mass of colors will give a heavy 
apperance to the painting. Be crisp, do not overwork, and 
do not repaint tomorrow what you painted today, but al¬ 
ways wait until the color is perfectly dry before you apply 
new color over the old. 

In arranging a group of flowers, divide them in a way 
that they may not be too crowded on one side and too few 
in the other part of the picture. In fact, simplicity is ad¬ 
visable. When you paint them, paint those that are further 
from you a little more subdued in color than those that are 
nearer to you, as this will help you in giving perspective to 
the group. 

There is also in still life painting, as in landscape paint¬ 
ing, a certain perspective of colors to be observed, and in 
grouping the subject for the painting, attempt to have in 
the foreground a flower which has a clearer color, and have 
darker and quieter shades farther back. Arrangement of 
colors must bring the best efifect. 


65 


POPPIES 

Field poppies of the bright red variety are painted with 
Vermilion color and shaded by the addition of Burnt Sienna 
to the former color. The center of the flower is Emerald 
Green and the small seeds around it are Black. There are 
field poppies with a delicate pink color and such a color is 
made by mixing Carmine Lake with White. White pop¬ 
pies, which are seen occasionally, are painted with White 
and a very trifle of Black. The very large poppies called 
Japanese poppies are painted with the same reds as the 
field poppies. The Yellow California poppies are painted 
with Dark Cadmium Yellow and shaded with Raw Sienna. 

VIOLETS 

Single or double violets are painted by mixing Cobalt 
Blue with a touch of Crimson Lake. Any other blue, as 
Permanent Blue or New Blue, will also make good violet 
shades. Paint violets with one stroke for every petal, and 
paint them in a good dark color. By adding a trifle of 
White to the same color afterwards you can put in the light 
shades. The light touch in the center of the single violets 
is in the Dark Cadmium Yellow. The light part in the 
center of the double violets is in White mixed with a trifle 
of Emerald Green. Dark touches for details are applied 
with a pointed brush at the finish. 

DAFFODILS 

Yellow flowers like daffodils are painted with Light 
Chrome Yellow with a trifle of Raw Sienna added for the 
shadings. These colors are very much used for all varieties 
of yellow flowers, mixed with occasional touches of Light 
Cadmium Yellow. The cup in the center of daffodils is in 
Dark Cadmium shaded with a touch of Raw Sienna and 
White. 

NARCISSUS, WHITE LILIES, LILIES OF THE 
VALLEY 

Narcissus and all white flowers are painted in a flat 
tint of gray, made with White mixed with a trifle of Black 


66 


with perhaps a very little of Emerald Green or Cobalt Blue 
as needed. Apply the whole of the flower in gray tone, put 
in occasional reflections in a delicate yellow or green and 
paint the high lights last in plain white color. 

CARNATIONS 

There are many varieties of carnations and just as 
many varieties of colors. The clear red flower, nearly the 
color of field poppies, is in Vermilion Red shaded^ with Car¬ 
mine Lake. There is a darker red carnation which can be 
painted by mixing Burnt Sienna and a trifle of Carmine. 
The pink variety is painted with White mixed with a trifle 
of Carmine Lake. The white one is painted in gray similar 
to the narcissus mentioned above. The yellow carnation is 
not quite so bright as the daffodil and can be painted by 
using White and Light Cadmium Yellow for the general 
tone and Raw Sienna and White for shading. The dark 
small lines seen in the petals of certain varieties of car¬ 
nations are painted down with a small pointed brush. 
Those small lines are generally in Burnt Sienna. 

POINSETTIAS 

Poinsettias are painted in Vermilion Red, perhaps 
toned down with a trifle of Crimson Purple. If darker 
shadows are wanter, add a 1 trifle of Van Dyck Brown. The 
small seeds in the center are in Chrome Yellow mixed with 
Cobalt Blue. 

PANSIES 

It might be said that pansies can be painted with any 
color, as there is such a variety of tints that to paint them 
with any color is just as safe as to follow a prescribed rule. 
There is the violet variety painted with the color mentioned 
in the paragraph on Violets. There is a dark deep blackish 
variety which can be painted by intermixing Black with 
Burnt Sienna or any of the reds as the need requires. There 
is the yellow kind painted with touches of Light and Dark 
Cadmium Yellow and occasional touches of Burnt Sienna. 
The three dark spots radiating from the center on three of 
the petals are always in Black or Van Dyck Brown or Dark 


67 


Violet. If you have a good drawing of the pansy, you can 
paint it with any color you may prefer. 

PEONIES 

Peonies are very similar in color to roses, either pink 
nr dark red or white. If you read the paragraph on Roses, 
page 71, you will have a fair idea of the different coloring 
which can be safely used on peonies. Of course, the leaves 
of peonies are of a different shape than those of the roses. 

SWEAT PEAS 

Sweet peas of the pink variety are painted with Car¬ 
mine Lake and White mixed. The lavender variety is 
painted with the same color as the pink, only with the addi¬ 
tion of a trifle of Cobalt Blue. White sweet peas are in 
the colors mentioned in Chapter 68 for white flowers. 

CHRYSANTHEMUMS AND ASTERS 

These flowers also have a very varied field of colors. 
The yellow species can be painted in Light Cadmium Yel¬ 
low and shaded with Raw Sienna. Apply the Raw Sienna 
first, imitating with the touch of the brush, the shape of the 
petals. The Light Cadmium Yellow is applied last. Dark 
red chrysantehmums are painted in Burnt Sienna and some¬ 
times in Vermilion Red. The purple flowers are in Crim¬ 
son Lake and White. The white variety is painted in White 
mixed with a trifle of Black. Asters are painted by using 
the same colors as those used in the chrysanthemums. 
Toward the end apply a good number of high lights, as 
these flowers are full of motion and life. 

AZALEA 

For azaleas you may use the same colors as for roses, 
as the tints are every much alike. 

Notice.—The list given here is by no means complete, 
as the variety of flowers comprises over is,000 individual 
species. We would advise a student desiring to learn the 
colors used for a certain kind of flower not mentioned in 
this book to look upon an equivalent flower found here and 


68 


follow the suggestion of color given for the same. Flowers 
are very interesting subjects to paint and always make very 
salable pictures. Paint them in a lively manner, use the 
brush freely and with good swing. 

ORCHIDS 

On of the most popular orchids is the larger lavender 
kind. This delicate color is made with plenty of White, a 
trifle of Geranium Lake and a trifle of Cobalt Blue. The 
cup in the center is made of the same color, using less 
White in the mixture. This will make a clear, intense color. 
For the yellow, white, etc., species, see chapters dealing in 
flowers of those colors. 


Chapter XXXIII 
ROSE PAINTING 

Rose Madder, Carmine Lake, Crimson Lake, White, 
Emerald Green and Cobalt Blue are the colors most neces¬ 
sary for the painting of pink roses or dark red roses. If 
the background of the picture is in dark green, a trifle of 
that green must appear in the darker parts of the roses. If 
the background is in dark brown, occasional light shadings 
of brown must show in the shadings of the rose. In fact, 
the tint of the background must be reflected here and there 
in the flowers and leaves to harmonize the whole effect and 
soften the painting. Should youi keep the color of the roses 
a clear red tone and have the background of green, brown 
or gray without any intermixing, the roses will be foreign 
to the other parts of the picture and they will look woody 
and sharp in form. This intermixing of the ground with 
the color of the roses will produce a neutral shade and this 
neutral shade should be applied on the first application of 
color when you sketch down the whole painting. Later 
when the color is thoroughly dried, you may paint the light 
tones of the roses with a clear shade, say of the Carmine 
and White mixed, and only cover slightly the dark neutral 



tones applied in the first sitting. Notice that the rose petals 
radiate from the center of the rose, beginning very small 
and growing larger and larger the further they spread from 
the center. It is therefore advisable to begin the painting 
of the rose from the center because the stronger and clearer 
color is found there. 

By the word local color the student should understand 
the general color of the subject, as, for instance, the local 
color in a pink rose is the Carmine and White mixed, and 
the high lights and shading of the rose are the comple¬ 
mentary colors. Mix the proper shade on the palette, and 
begin to paint from the middle of the rose and try to pro¬ 
duce with the brush the same curves made by the petals, 
but without much tinkering and details. Hiave the colors 
of the rose rather darker than lighter, as on the next sitting 
you can easily touch up and apply the right shading. 

It is a general rule to paint all subjects such as flowers 
and fruits in a darker tone and apply the lighter shading 
afterwards. If you should apply the lighter shades first 
and the darker shades aterwards, you would have more 
difficulty in producing the proper work. Sketch the roses, 
leaves and the background with any other objects repre¬ 
sented in the picture. The roses nearest to you are clearer 
in tone than those that are further back, and these latter 
must be painted more subdued by adding to the pink tone a 
trifle of Emerald Green. The leaves in the foreground also 
should be painted in a cleaner color than the leaves more 
distant. When you have everything sketched, place your 
painting to dry and do not work over it until it is free from 
all moisture. 

We have mentioned how helpful it will be to students 
if they will learn to make strokes of the brush that comply 
with the shapes of the flowers or leaves they are copying. 
Very often one stroke is sufficient to show the character of 
a subject. Rose leaves, for instance, being oval and flat, 
should be painted with one or two flat strokes and no more. 
In painting roses use your brush in a rounding touch, fol¬ 
lowing the shape of the model. It takes time to learn this 
method, but it is well worth the attention and the time 


70 


given to it. High lights and sharp shadows will come later 
when the picture is nearing completion. 

Yellow Roses require Dark Cadmium Yellow, Light 
Cadmium Yellow, White, Raw Sienna and occasional 
touches of Emerald Green. 

White Roses require White, Emerald Green, Cobalt 
Blue, Light Cadmium Yellow. 

Pink Roses require Madder Lake, Carmine Lake, a 
trifle of Cobalt Blue, Emerald Green and White. 

Dark Roses require Crimson Lake, Ivory Black, 
White, a trifle of Cobalt Blue. 

To these general colors given for different kinds of 
roses must be added other occasional colors which har¬ 
monize with the color of the background, as it is impossible 
to describe here every minute detail of the pictures to be 
painted by students. Always copy the peculiar character 
of the species of roses you are painting, with their twisted 
petals, sometimes round, sometimes pointed and be careful 
to give them the style of leaves belonging to them. The 
stems of the roses will come at the end and though they 
are rather stiff in nature, they should be exaggerated 
enough to make them look at ease. Different little addi¬ 
tions of a bud here and a leaf there, a thorn or a brown leaf 
increase the interest of the picture. As a rule when a pic¬ 
ture is finished and the group of roses faithfully copied, the 
artist adds or eliminates incidental subjects or parts of them 
subjects that do not seem to help the decorative part of 
the painting. Perhaps the table where the roses are lying 
would look better if painted a trifle lighter than the original, 
or perhaps at one side of the background a brighter color 
would relieve the solidity and give the impression of light 
coming direct on the group. These are little tricks worked 
up in the end, but very helpful indeed. 



71 


Chapter XXXIV 
LEAVES 


We have remarked at other times that leaves and their 
handling in connection with flowers and fruit are very often 
neglected or misconsidered in painting. The same is said 
of the painting of parts of the human body, such as hands 
or feet, where students find the task very difficult and often 
complain that hands and feet are more difficult to copy than 
the head. Leaves are difficult because they do not interest 
the students as much as flowers and fruit. They are less 
copied and studied and when the time comes for their re¬ 
production the leaves are badly painted with stiff move¬ 
ment and bad form. You can detect the real art education 
of the student in the general execution of all individual 
parts of the picture, the flowers as well as the leaves. 

Of course, every species of flowers or fruit has a spe¬ 
cial form of leaf, perhaps with very small variations, but 
with variations nevertheless. Roses in general have the 
oval shape leaf with dented edges, rather smooth in texture 
and often glossy in appearance. They come in clusters of 
three, five, seven or so. Grapes in general have a three- 
pointed leaf, with veins radiating from the stem. They are 
also dented, but those irregularities are larger and much 
stronger than those of the rose. Tulips have a long tongue¬ 
like leaf very artistically twisted and often closed in the 
form of a book. Poppy leaves have a very broken shape, 
and, in fact, all varieties of flowers show individual char¬ 
acter in the shape of their leaves. 

Fruit leaves are generally thicker and more rigid, per¬ 
haps for the reason that they accompany fruit which is 
heavier and clumsier compared with the light nature of 
flowers. When students paint leaves they must be certain 
of their form and paint them freely and crisp. Apply the 
dark leaves, that is, those leaves that are standing in the 
shadow or background, and come gradually to those in the 


72 


foreground. It is more helpful to paint the leaves before 
the flowers or fruit, because those leaves give a certain 
background to the flowers or fruit. When the dark leaves 
are finished and the flowers are sketched properly, you can 
paint the light leaves. Have part of the background here 
and there showing between the leaves to make the picture 
less solid. Use your brush in such a way that your touch 
be of the same shape as the leaf, as this study of touch 
saves considerable time. One touch can suggest more than 
half on hour’s tinkering. Do not forget the stems, lest the 
leaves hang in the air. Show occasional touches of high 
lights at the edge of the leaves, as this will make them more 
delicate and airy. 


Chapter XXXV 
FRUIT PAINTING 

Fruit painting, like the painting of flowers or inanimate 
subjects, are called still life. This term distinguishes it from 
the painting of live persons and live animals called life 
painting, as well as from landscape painting, figure paint¬ 
ing, ornamentation, etc. 

In a picture representing fruit there is generally a 
group of one or more species of fruits, either laid on a table 
or placed in a basket, etc. Heavy fruits, such as apples, 
pears, peaches, etc., look very appropriate when raised over 
something high. The lighter fruits, such as currants, goose¬ 
berries, blackberries, etc., can be represented on a vase. 
However, better and easier effects are attained when they 
are grouped carelessly in a basket or on a table. Different 
fruit, with a few incidental leaves thrown in and a basket, 
make a good background for the fruit. Do not spread the 
fruit too symmetrically, but allow one to overlap another 
and see that the group is artistic. The light should illumi¬ 
nate the subject from one side only if possible, and if pos¬ 
sible from the north, because this light will not change so 
often and is softer for the purpose. It is not advisable to 


73 



have the sunlight illuminate your subj ect, as this is too diffi¬ 
cult for students. 

In another chapter we have given colors for the paint¬ 
ing of different fruits and all of those fruits will be found 
listed in the index. Before beginning the coloring, have a 
very accurate drawing of the whole picture. Notice that 
the fruits have not the transparent shade found in the 
flowers, as fruits are thick and solid, while flowers are light 
and transparent. Study the shapes of the leaves. Have a 
dark background to show up the different fruits and paint 
the picture in a very sketchy and artistic way. 

Plums, apples, peaches, etc., are very often painted 
lying over the green grass, representing them as if fallen 
from the branches and gathered up for collection. Such 
fruits are very seldom painted on the branches. A pottery 
vase, rather solid in shape, is often included in a still-life 
group of fruits and flowers, and this vase is painted in 
colors that make a good contrast with the other subjects in 
the pictures. 


Chapter XXXVI 

APPLES, PEARS AND PEACHES 

Apples, peaches and pears as well as grapes are very 
popular among the subjects used in the painting of still 
life. We described the painting of grapes in a separate 
chapter and the student should refer to the index for any 
individual description of fruit. Apples and pears, like other 
fruits having a smooth surface, have a certain gloss which 
is always reproduced with a clean white stroke of color. 
Peaches have a more velvety skin and no strong high light 
appears on such fruit. They have instead a violet, nearly 
gray, color that makes the effect very soft and pretty. In 
grouping such a variety of fruit, try to have good taste and 
place several of them together in an upturned basket, for 
instance, or any receptacle, and also have a few of them 
outside. The group can also be heaped up gracefully with¬ 
out any basket, and have some occasional fruit scattered 


74 



outside of the group, one at the front, etc. The effect will 
be better if you place a dark cloth under them and also il 
the background is dark. If you wish to have a bowl or am 
other receptacle included in the group, do not place it right 
in the center of the picture, as it will attract the attention 
from the main subject—the fruit. 

Apples should be sketched down by painting first the 
dark shadows, which are partly red and partly green. Use 
Carmine or Vermilion toned down with Burnt Sienna for 
the red parts, and where the shadows are green use a touch 
of Chrome Green Dark, mixed with Raw Sienna. For the 
light parts of the apple use Emerald Green mixed with 
White and use Vermilion mixed with White for the light 
red tone. Of course, there are green apples and red apples 
and students should use all those colors according to re¬ 
quirement. Pears are painted with the colors used for 
apples, though generally less red is needed. Paint apples 
and pears with a long rounding touch similar to the shape 
of those fruits and smooth the different colors well to¬ 
gether. Peaches are painted in the dark shadows with Raw 
Sienna and in the light part with the same color mixed 
with Naples Yellow and a touch of Cobalt Blue mixed with 
a touch of Vermilion. Having the fruit sketched down, 
apply now the table or the background and whatever is 
included in the picture and place the picture to dry thor¬ 
oughly. Leave the high lights for the second or final paint¬ 
ing of the picture. Be sure to blend all fruit in with the 
background, lest they look cut out. Also have the light 
illuminating the group of fruit coming from one window 
only. If the student wishes to paint a group from a study 
or from a picture, no particular light is necessary. Draw 
the different subjects very lightly and correctly either in 
free-hand or by tracing the picture with tracing paper* and 
transfer it on the canvas by means of impression paper. 

PLUMS 

The colors used in the plums are Cobalt Blue and Black 
for the dark shadows, mixed with a trifle of Carmine or 
Crimson Lake to warm up the tone. For the light parts 
use the Cobalt Blue, a touch of Crimson Lake and White. 


75 


BLACKBERRIES 


For the painting of blackberries use Black and Cobalt 
Blue for the shadows of the individual round berries. Apply 
these shadows in a half moon shape and on one side only, 
leaving the opposite side plain. In painting blackberries or 
raspberries, begin from the center and apply little rings, 
adding one after another until you have enough rings to 
make the size wanted. The light part is painted with 
Cobalt Blue, White and a touch of the Carmine. In every 
little berry there is a high light which can be laid on in 
the end with a sharp, small touch of White. 

RASPBERRIES 

Raspberries are painted in circular rings like the black¬ 
berries of which we have spoken above. The colors used 
are Carmine Lake for the shadows and Geranium Lake 
with White for the light parts. If the color appears too 
bright, you may tone it down with a touch of Crimson 
Lake. 

WALNUTS, HAZELNUTS, CHESTNUTS, ETC. 

Nuts in shell form are painted by using Van Dyck 
Brown, Raw Sienna, Bone Brown, Dark Cadmium Yellow 
and a good quantity of White as needed. It is difficult to 
give a special color for any special fruit, but having those 
mentioned Browns on the palette, the student should take 
more of one or another until the tint is well matched. Burnt 
Sienna is a very useful color for mixing and reducing tints. 
Naples Yellow can be used in the place of White. Cocoa- 
nuts are also painted in these Brown colors. 

CURRANTS 

Currants have a shape much like grapes, and as we 
have written a chapter especially for grape painting, the 
student may refer to it for general use. A good color for 
currants is Vermilion for the light parts. The same color 
mixed with Crimson Lake is used for the shadows. The 
little black point underneath is made with Black mixed with 
a trifle of White. Have the little sharp lights painted on 
at the end. 


76 


MELONS 


Watermelons are painted in Crimson Lake, altered 
with a small quantity of White. Carmine Lake is also 
good for the purpose, and as watermelons may be more or 
less bright, the students should use their judgment regard¬ 
ing the intermixing of those three colors. The outer edge 
between the red part and the skin is painted with Naples 
Yellow mixed with a bit of Emerald Green. The green 
skin is in Chrome Green Dark, mixed with occasional 
touches of the Emerald Green, especially in the high lights. 

Yellow melons are better painted with Dark Cadmium 
Yellow toned down with Raw Sienna and a trifle of White. 
The light space between the yellow and the skin can be 
painted in Naples Yellow, subdued with a bit of Emerald 
Green. For the skin use Naples Yellow and a very little of 
Bone Brown. 

CHERRIES 

Cherries are of several colors. For the dark red cher¬ 
ries use Black mixed with Crimson Purple. For the red 
sour cherries use Vermilion Red. For the light colored 
cherry use Dark Cadmium Yellow, White and some occa¬ 
sional touches of Vermilion. The high lights seen in the 
cherries are painted with White with a clean sharp touch. 

ORANGES 

The color for oranges is the Dark Cadmium Yellow 
toned down with Raw Sienna and White. You must use 
more of the Raw Sienna on the side of the shadows and 
less on the opposite side. Notice that the skin of the orange 
is rough and this roughness must be reproduced in the 
painting. The inside of the orange should be painted with 
a very little of the Raw Sienna. The Cadmium Yellow is 
very much toned 1 down with White. The seed and the fine 
skin are made with White and a very trifle of Raw Sienna. 

LEMONS AND GRAPEFRUIT 

Lemons are of a stronger yellow color than the grape¬ 
fruit, but the color used for the lemon can be used for the 
grapefruit by the addition of a little White. Light Cad- 


77 


mium Yellow mixed with a very trifle of Emerald Green, 
and if necessary with a little White will make a good local 
color. For the shading, add to Light Cadmium a trifle of 
Raw Sienna and a trifle more of the Green, used previously. 
The inside of the lemons and also of the grapefruit is 
slightly gray. You may find this shade by adding to White 
a very little of Cobalt Blue and a trifle of Raw Sienna. 
Remember that the skin of the lemon is rough and uneven. 

BANANAS 

Dark Cadmium Yellow mixed with Raw Sienna and a 
trifle of White will make a good color for bananas. The 
Raw Sienna pure will make a good color for the shadings, 
and for the occasional dark spots seen on bananas use Bone 
Brown. i 

STRAWBERRIES 

Carmine Lake mixed with White will make a good 
general color for ripe strawberries. The small light points 
seen all over that fruit are in Naples Yellow. Occasional 
spaces to represent green fruit are painted with Light Cad¬ 
mium Yellow mixed with a trifle of Emerald Green and 
White. For the dark shadows use Crimson Lake. You 
may vary the general strawberry tone by some additional 
touches of Vermilion Red. 







Chapter XXXVII 
GRAPE PAINTING 


Grapes can be better painted in a sketchy, quick style 
than if you overwork them and paint over them too much 
There are so many high lights and transparencies, so many 
small, open spaces between the grapes, small stems and 
twisted stems that bold touches are more appropriate for 
their reproduction. White grapes are so called because 
they are light in color, but their true color leans more 
toward the green. The color of these green grapes can be 
reproduced as follows: Have four distinct shades already 
made on the palette, the, No. i for the shadows, or darkest 
shades in the individual grapes; No. 2, the middle tone; 
No. 3, a special clean color for the transparency; No. 4, a 
light color for the high lights. The darker tone, No. 1, is 
made with Chrome Green Dark mixed with a trifle of 
Chrome Yellow Light and White. The middle tone, No. 2, 
is made of Terra Verte and White and should be much 
lighter than No. 1. Transparency, No. 3, is in light Cad¬ 
mium Yellow mixed with a trifle of White. The No. 4 
shade for high lights is White. 

Apply the dark shades first and on the lower part of 
the grapes, leaving a small clean space below for the trans¬ 
parency. Apply the middle tone, No. 2, over the dark 
shadows, covering up all the upper part of the grape and 
finally apply the transparency at the very low part below 
the shadow. The high light, No. 4, is about the center of 
the grapes and is painted on at the every end of the picture 
with a clean sharp touch of White. Be sure to make the 
shape of the grapes either round or slightly oval, and have 
the shadow, No. 1, applied to one side of each group in a 
round form similar to a quarter moon, and blend in this 
shadow with the middle tint, No. 2. As mentioned above, 
grapes have an oval or round shape, and if you make them 
angular they will lose their character. Grapes are larger 


79 


at the top of the bunch toward the stem and grow smaller 
toward the end of the cluster. See that they do not make 
too solid a mass, but leave occasional spaces between the 
individual grapes, where your background will show and 
perhaps the small stems. In this way you will give more 
atmosphere to the grapes themselves. 

Purple grapes are painted with the following colors: 
Dark shadow, No. i, Black with a touch of Crimson Lake, 
a trifle of Blue and a trifle of White, so as to make a dark 
purplish tone. Middle tone, No. 2, Cobalt Blue, White and 
a trifle of Black. Reflection, No. 3, Carmine Lake and a 
trifle of White. LPigh light, No. 4, White. The application 
of the colors with the purple grapes will be the same as the 
method mentioned for white grapes, only notice that at the 
lower part of the cluster the small grapes are generally 
more read, for which you can use a little Carmine color. 

Red grapes are generally painted with the following 
colors: Dark shadow, No. 1, Crimson Lake, a very small 
trifle of Black and a trifle of White; making a light, sub¬ 
dued tone; the transparency, No. 3, Vermilion Red; high 
lights, No. 4, White. The stems of grapes are generally in 
a yellowish tone, such as Light Chrome Green mixed with 
a little White and a trifle of Yellow. 



80 



By D. M. CAMPANA 



















Chapter XXXVIII 
ANIMAL PAINTING 


l lie animals that are most popular with the artist are 
rows and sheep. This may be attributed to the usefulness 
of those animals in representing certain effects of land¬ 
scapes, as they are seen almost in every land and are always 
appropriate. You may have noticed that sheep are fre¬ 
quently painted in sunset effects, slowly moving toward 
their hut with the shepherd and the dog following closely by. 

Cows are also painted in dusk effect, but more gen¬ 
erally on a sunny landscape, lying on the shady grass or 
moving slowly toward the pond. The cows have what an 
artist may call resourceful colors, some being black, some 
brown, some spotted, while others are white, and their 
varied colors are used according to the colors needed in the 
picture. If the picture is a trifle dark, for example, the 
cows may be painted white or light brown. If the land¬ 
scape is light, the animals may be black, etc., to counter¬ 
balance the effect. Sheep, on the contrary, have a delicate 
grayish tone of color and are very well fitted to appear at 
the close of day with their humble proceedings and low- 
hanging heads. 

Horses, chickens and dogs are also very much painted, 
and we must warn the student that the drawing of animals 
in general is difficult and requires much study and patience. 
It is a very easy matter to draw a horse, for instance, and 
take particular care to have the beautiful head, limber legs 
and in the eye of the student everything satisfactory, but 
your teacher will find that your horse has a body twice as 
long in proportion to the legs or vice versa. This is a very 
popular mistake with students. The drawing of the legs 
especially is very diffcult on account of the different joints 
and the peculiar shape. Painting animals is as difficult as 
the painting of a human body and requires as much prac- 


81 


tice. You should go into the field and sketch a large 
variety of those animals in their different positions and 
actions, until you understand very well the character of 
their body. With the pencil make quick sketches of their 
heads, their bodies and their legs, and when you have made 
a large number of them your eye will be trained properly 
and your work satisfactory. 

Colors for Dark Brown Cows 
Bone Brown, Burnt Sienna. 

Colors for Black Cows 

Ivory Black, trifle of Lake. 

Colors for Light Brown 

Dark Cadmium, Raw Sienna, White. 

Colors for White Cows 

White shaded with a trifle of Black. 

Sheep, Gray 

White and trifle of Black. 

Black Sheep 

Black, trifle of White. 

HORSES 

It is not an easy matter to have a horse keep in one 
position while you are copying him. He moves his head, 
his body, legs, etc., and makes it generally difficult for the 
student. Unless you have a good knowledge of his form 
and anatomy, it is advisable to study him in parts fiffit, that 
is, to make a good sketch of the head at first and afterwards 
a good sketch of the full body. Block the whole animal in 
straight, simple lines, showing the movement and joint of 
the legs, represent well the hoofs, the chest and the curve 
of the back. The legs of horses are difficult to copy, a 
common mistake of students being a tendency to make 
them too long in proportion to the body. The feeling in a 
horse’s eyes is often very expressive and many horses show 
their intelligence through them. In this respect they are 
very similar to dogs. Study their form and their color. In 
painting them, sketch them down, using thin colors; that is, 
colors well diluted with the oil you h^ve on the recent"’cle. 
Paint all shadows first and come graduallv to the lighter 
shades. Finishing touches will come at a later sitting. If 


you copy a horse from a picture or study the matter will 
be very much, easier. 

Brown horse, Van Dysk Brown, Raw Sienna, trifle 
White. 

Black horse, Ivory Black, trifle Cobalt Blue, trifle 
White. 

White horse, White mixed with a trifle of Black. 

Gray horse, Black mixed with enough White to suit. 

LIONS 

Lion painting from nature is a privilege of the lucky 
artist who may be in the vicinity of a private or public 
menagerie. On account of a limited number of those ani¬ 
mals offering opportunity to students for life-study, we 
shall limit this chapter to describing the most appropriate 
colors for the painting of lions, so that, if they have a good 
study to copy from, they may be able to reproduce it prop¬ 
erly. The general color of a lion is a yellowish gray, tend¬ 
ing, perhaps, toward russet, or buff. Raw Sienna,. Bone 
Brown and White may be used for the general color, shaded 
with the same three colors with less White and perhaps a 
trifle more Brown than used in the first mixture. The 
lion’s mane has a warmer color than the other part of the 
body, and such a color can be made by adding a trifle of 
Dark Cadmium Yellow. Sketch dcwn the animal with well 
thinned color and especially for the mane use the brush in 
a manner to imitate the movement of the hair. The four 
colors mentioned above are also used for a lioness. They 
are Raw Sienna, Bone Brown, Cadmium Yellow and White, 
used in proportions as needed. Lion cubs do not differ in 
color from, the older animals. 

DOG PAINTING 

There is a large variety of dogs and as large a variety 
of shades. Of course, the colors are limited to Black. 
Brown, White, Gray and a Yellow Brown tint, but those 
colors vary considerably in depth as well as in texture. An 
Airedale dog is brown but a much lighter brown than a 
regular brown spaniel and a Pomeranian or fox terrier is 
often still lighter than any of the former varieties. Dogs, 


83 


as intimate friends of the household, as well as in sport or 
as watch dogs, are very much painted and admired. Make 
a good drawing. Study especially the form of the legs and 
the expression of the eyes, as the eyes of a dog are as ex¬ 
pressive and intelligent as the eyes of a person. If you talk 
to a pointer, or to a daschund, you will notice what atten¬ 
tion he gives you, and how his eyes seem to denote perfect 
understanding of the significance of your speech. Be sure 
to show the special peculiarity of form, as from those, the 
people must decide to what species your subject belongs. 
For dark Brown dogs use Van Dyck Brown and, perhaps, 
a trifle of Raw Sienna. For light Brown dogs, use Raw 
Sienna, a trifle of Dark Cadmium Yellow and White. For 
Black dogs, use Black, perhaps mixed with a trifle of Crim¬ 
son Lake to warm up the color. Gray dogs are painted 
with White and a touch of Black, and White dogs with 
White. 


Chapter XXXIX 
TAPESTRY PAINTING 

Tapestry clothes used by old artists and also used at 
the present time is different from the canvas used for oil 
painting. Tapestry is a ribbed fabric without any prepara¬ 
tion, while the canvas for oil painting is covered with a 
preparation of plaster and glue mixed. Tapestry is more 
absorbing and will show a more delicate transparency than 
oil painting on canvas where the colors will flatten on the 
preparation underneath. Tapestry requires a small quan¬ 
tity of colors, as a thick coating makes it stiff and easily 
cracked. You will notice that a hanging painting on tap¬ 
estry looks soft and can be easily folded without injury to 
the subject. You could not fold an oil painting without 
cracking or creasing it. Painting on tapestry is staining, 
painting on canvas is coating. For the painting on canvas, 
a large quantity of body color is used, such as White, while 
on tapestry the colors are applied well thinned and gen¬ 
erally without any white. 

There are tapestry colors or dies used for this kind of 


84 




Tapestry Panel by D. M. CAMPANA 























work. Some are in concentrated form; thick like water 
color paints and diluted with a tapestry medium. There 
are also liquid tapestry colors used directly from the bottle, 
and finally oil colors, the quality for general oil painting, 
are also used. In fact, the colors most generally used in 
tapestry are oil colors. Occasionally you may find an artist 
that gives the tapestry cloth a very thin coating of a small 
quantity of Arabic gum well dissolved in warm water. He 
applies it all over the tapestry before beginning the paint¬ 
ing, as it serves as a foundation; however, the preparation 
is liable to make the fabric stifif or brittle. As the most 
popular and satisfactory method is painting with oil colors, 
we shall dwell on this one at first. 

The application of oil colors in tapestry must be care¬ 
fully gauged, and all colors should be well diluted with 
turpentine. Have the subject lightly and cleanly drawn 
on the tapestry and have all your oil colors distributed 
around the palette, have clean turpentine on the recep¬ 
tacle. Use the bristle brushes with a round point, these 
being more useful than the square brushes, though, of 
course, if the round pointed are not at hand, the others can 
be used. Take some color and turpentine and stir the two 
together, taking care that the mixture is not thick. Apply 
now on the canvas by rubbing up and down until the color 
has covered the desired part. As the canvas is woolly and 
absorbing, it takes some time to apply enough color so that 
it will have the due strength. This is only done by going 
over and over again with the brush until the tint is satis¬ 
factory. In oil colors you paint with a thick coating, you 
apply it and leave it there; in tapestry you must stretch it 
as much as you possibly can. The colors will be quickly 
absorbed and will dry quickly. Make it a rule to apply the 
darker tones and the broader-shades first and to come grad¬ 
ually to the lighter shades. If possible, do not use white, 
and follow the method of water color painting where the 
high lights are left in the clean white paper. Of course, a 
touch of white well diluted with the turpentine will not 
spoil the painting, especially when the white is mixed with 
the other colors in order to produce a certain tint, but too 
much white will leave a stiffness on the tapestry and this 
must be avoided. 


85 


The general effect of painting on tapestry is a delicate 
softness of the coloring. The ribbed nature of the textile 
blends the hard lines ot the colors, and in a certain way the 
painting appears faded into the cloth, with a very pleasing 
effect. Do not varnish your work when you have finished 
it. Leave it as it is and hang it loose on the wall. 

The majority of paintings on tapestry are of a decora¬ 
tive style, with figures traced in showy garb and with elab¬ 
orate background. Large painted borders surround the 
center painting, or if you prefer a frame, use one in a flat 
form and with very subdued gilding. As mentioned in the 
beginning of this chapter, there are also colored stains used 
for this painting, and those are applied in the same way as 
oil colors. When they are used directly from the bottle you 
may apply them on the tapestry without any additional 
thinning. If you wish to use a water color or compound 
colors for tapestry you should use alcohol for a diluting 
medium or any special liquid sold by the manufacturer for 
this purpose. Tapestry cloth is sold in different sizes and 
different qualities. It can be found in sizes varying from 
36 inches to 80 inches in width. A good quality of woolen 
fine ribbed, 36 inches wide, tapestry canvas costs about 
$8.00 per yard. The same quality 55 inches wide will cost 
about $15.00. An 80-inch wide costs about $30.00 per yard. 
There is a cotton reps, tapestry 40 inches wide costing 
about $4.50 per yard. 

The prices of oil colors and brushes can be found on 
pages 22-29. Liquid tapestry colors cost about 35c per 
ounce bottle. Brushes for tapestry painting are found in 
Chapter XIII, only in ordering mention round pointed in¬ 
stead of square brushes as used in oil colors. 

A large piece of tapestry can be nailed on the wall and 
painted there directly. A small piece can be tacked on a 
wooden board. As there is always considerable rubbing 
and pressing with the brush, it is advisable to have the 
tapestry pinned on a solid back, so as to work more quickly. 
On a stretcher it is more difficult to work the color into the 
ribbed faerie. 

Catalog of all materials used by artists will be sent on 
request. Write the author of this book. 


86 


INDEX 


- Page 

Animal Painting . 81 

Apples, Pears and Peaches . 74 

Art Publications, Varied. 90-91 

Azalias . 68 

Bananas . 78 

Blackberries . 76 

Blending Brushes . 28 

Brush Cleaning . 29 

Brushes. 27 

Canvases . 21 

Carnations . 67 

Cherries . 77 

Chrysanthemums . 68 

Clear Day and Blue Sky. 56 

Clothes and Draperies . 33 

Clouds . 57 

Coloring . 30 

Color List . 20 

Colors, Man’s . 46 

Colors, Woman’s. 46 

Colors, Children’s . 46 

Currants . 76 

Daffodils . 66 

Dog Painting . 83 

Drawing .16-36 


87 




























I N D E X—Continued 

- Page 

Flesh Coloring. 41 

Flower Painting . 63 

Fruit Painting. 73 

Grape Painting . 79 

Hair Colors . 46 

Helpful Suggestions. 40 

Horses . l . 82 

Landscape from Nature. 50 

Lnadscape Painting . 51 

Leaves . 72 

Lemon and Grapefruit . 77 

Lions . 83 

Marine Painting . 58 

Melons . 77 

Method . 14 

Mixing of Colors . 24 

Narcissus, White Lilies, Lilies of the Valley. 66 

Oil Painting . 6 

Oranges . 77 

Orchids . 69 

Outfit of Materials . 18 

Painting . 11 

Palette . 39 

Pansies . 67 

Peonies . 68 

88 





























I N D E X—Continued 


- Page 

Plums . 75 

Poinsettias . 67 

Poppies . .... 66 

Portrait Painting . 47 

Preface . 5 

Quality of Materials. 19 

Raspberries .. 76 

Recipe for Making Oil. 23 

Recipes for Making Canvas and Oil for Oil Painting. . 22 

Rose Painting . 69 

Rocks . 58 

Shortening and Perspective. 32 

Sky . 54 

Snow Scenes . 62 

Strawberries . 78 

Sweet Peas . 68 

Tapestry Painting. 84 

Technic . 8 

Tracing. 35 

Theory of Colors . 25 

Trees and Foliage Painting. 60 

Value .38 

Violets . 66 

Walnuts, Hazelnuts, Chestnuts, etc. 76 


89 

























PUBLICATIONS BY D. M. CAMPANA 
Chicago 

Book of Decorative Designs. No. 1 . By D. M. Campana. 

Full of pretty borders and ideas for all kinds of decora¬ 
tions. (Third Edition.) Price 90c. 

Book of Decorative Designs. No. 2 . By D. M. Campana. 

Contains 191 complete designs of all shapes and styles 
(Second Edition.) Price 90c. 

Book of Decorative Designs. No. 3 . By D. M. Campana. 

A variey of conventionalized subjects from nature for all 
kinds of decortaions. A very popuuar book. (Third Edition.) 
Price 90c. 

Book of Decorative Designs. No. 4 . 

An entirely different collection of decorative ideas, orig¬ 
inal and pretty. New. Price 90c. 

The Artist and Decorators. By D. M. Campana. 

A large collection of high class decorations and artistic 
suggestions in all styles. A book for ambitious workers, 
such as decorators, designers, artists, engravers. About 500 
ideas. Price $2.50. 

Book, “The Teacher of China Painting.” By D. M. Campana. 

A very complete text book for beginners and advanced 
workers. (Fourth Edition.) Price 75c. 

The Teacher of Landscape Painting. 

Teaches how to start and finish a landscape, how to 
harmonize effects, colors, etc. New. Price 65c. 

The Teacher of Drawing. By D. M. Campana. 

A book giving a systematic method of learning how to 
draw from nature. (Third Edition.) Price $1.03. 

The Teacher of Water Color Painting. By D. M. Campana. 

Teaching flowers, figures, landscape, etc., in a plain, clear 
manner. (Third Edition.) Price 65c. 

The Teacher of Oil Paintings. By D. M. Campana. 

Teaches the easiest method to lbarn oil painting. Land¬ 
scape, figures, animal, still life. A practical book. (Third 
Edition.) Price 65c. 

The Teacher of Flower and Fruit Painting. 

This book explain individual colors to use in painting of 
flowers and fruit. A practical and useful book. Price 65c. 

The Teacher of Conventionalism. By D. M Camp.ana. 

A boklet explaining and guiding the decorator in apply¬ 
ing and making designs for all kinds of crafts. With illus¬ 
trations. Price $ 1 . 00 . 

Book—Roses and How to Paint Them. By D. M .Campana. 

Teaching method for painting roses in water color, china, 
oil, silk and other branches. Given exclusively to roses with 
colored studies. (Second Edition.) Price 75c. 

90 


Book—100 Lustre Color Combinations. By D. M. Camp.ana. 

How to make them, with all theiatest effects. (Second 
Edition.) Price 55c. 

Book on Firing Porcelain and Glass. By D. M. Campana. 

With direction for stacking, repairing, etc. (Second Edi¬ 
tion.) Price 40c. 

Acid Etchings. By D. M. Campana. 

On porcelain and glass—with illustrations. Describes 
from beginning to end the whole process of etching in on 
the body of china and glass. Price 75c. 

Enamel Decorations. By D .M. Campana. 

On porcelain and glass—with illustrations. Teaches the 
safest enamels and colors. Describes cause for chipping off, 
etc. Price 55c. 

Books of Monograms and Lettering. By D. M. Campana. 

Contains a large variety of all styles (thousands of them). 
(Third Edition.) Price 50c. 

Glass Decorations and Firing. By D. M. Campana. 

A booklet teaching how to decorate and fire crystal glass. 
Such method can be followed with other quality of glass. 
Price 40c. 

Ceramic Photography. By D. M. Campana. 

Gives recipes and method for making photographs on 
china and enamels. Price 75c. 

Book on Leather Craft. By D. M. Campana. 

Explaining tooling, carving, painting, polishing, etc. Il¬ 
lustrated with many patterns for bags, etc. Price 50c. 

Book of Desings and Color Schemes. By D. M. Campana. 

A publication in colors, complete; 120 pages of designs 
in colors and directions. Better than 6 months’ lessons. 
Price $7.50. (For china decorations.) 

Colored Studies. By D. M. Campana. 

Flowers and fruits and conventional, large. Ask for list. 
Price 25c. to 50c. 

Studies in Series. (20 Series.) By D. M. Campana. 

Conventional and realistic; all in colors and original. 
Each series contains 6 designs in colors with full directions. 
Flowers, fruit, conventional. Each series 50c. 

SOLD AT ALL ART DEALERS OR AT 

D. M. CAMPANA ART CO. 

Publishers of Art Books 
CHICAGO, ILL. 


91 





For List of Publications 
By D. M. CAMPANA 
See pages 90 and 91 


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